Sweet Song
by PenPistola
Summary: A series of vignettes from Jr.'s life and his relationships, from PreSaga to Post XSIII. Jr.xSakura, Jr.,various.
1. The Days of Summer

**Disclaimer: **If I owned 'Saga, it'd have much more sex, if I owned 'Saga it'd be rated X. If I owned 'Saga, life would be a blast, but I don't own 'Saga, so don't sue my ass!

**A/N: **First in a series of vignettes from Jr.'s life and his relationships. As you might have guessed, each part will be named after a line in "Sweet Song." Yes, this is Jr. x Sakura. I really don't care for Jr. x MOMO, and I think this situation may be a bit more believable. Be aware that this is the "clean" version. If you'd like to see the "unclean" version (lol), pm me, or find me a good Xeno fanfiction site with laxer rules where I can post it. Please R&R if you like it. Suggestions and criticisms are absolutely welcome!

**The Days of Summer**

"Dive-pod number three active. U.R.T.V. unit number 666, wavelength, 20 Hz, stable. Patient, stable. Commencing dive," the technician droned.

Small fists clenched in excitement as the young boy desperately suppressed his wavelength so as not to betray himself. He felt the familiar sensation of vertigo as the dive pod tilted slowly backwards and let out an involuntary gasp at the sharp stab of pain as the terminal made contact. Suddenly, his reflection in the plastic sheen of the pod began to waver, then the floor dropped out from under him and he was falling, falling, falling…

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The first sensation that returned to him, before he'd even opened his eyes, was warmth. The Yuriev institute was so sterile, so brutally cold, but here the warm air saturated him, making him feel alive. When he opened his eyes, he was assaulted by the vibrant green of the sun-kissed landscape. A breath of air brought him the scents of soil, grass and privet, and he heard the sounds of birds chirping merrily all around. It was summer, in all its glory. With a grin set upon his face, he tore down the dappled forest path toward the modest cottage in the distance.

"Rubedo!" the boy heard a voice call as he neared the front porch. A young girl flew from the steps and into his arms, nearly bowling him over.

"Sakura," he smiled into her hair, wrapping his arms around her and breathing in her scent, a subtle blend of cherry and peach blossoms. He nearly caught himself reaching up to stroke that hair before he checked himself, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

"I didn't know you were coming today, Rubedo," she said, pulling back. He could tell by her expression and her greeting, however, that she wasn't upset. "What a wonderful surprise!" Rubedo reached a hand behind his head in mild embarrassment, as he so often did while in her company.

"I… just wanted to see how you were doing, that's all. I convinced dad to let me come. He said it'd be a good idea," Rubedo explained. Sakura grinned knowingly, reading into his awkward response. Biting her lip, she swiftly reached out and took his hand in hers. Her grin returned as Rubedo's stomach filled with butterflies and his blush deepened.

"Come on," she said, "Let's go to the beach. I've got something to show you!" Rubedo nodded in unconcealed enthusiasm, nearly stumbling as Sakura began to lead the way to the beach. He never once let go of her hand.

They arrived at the bottom of the hill, the towering white windmills signaling that they were almost there. They could hear the roar of the waves like constant thunder against the rocks. Rubedo breathed the wonderfully salty air deeply, then with renewed vigor, led the rest of the way to the top of the hill and stopped. Sakura just smiled, watching as Rubedo's eyes widened in amazement at the sight. In the distance, dolphins were jumping. Dozens of them, slipping the bonds of the sea to perform spectacular flips and twisting dives. The sun shimmered off their sleek bodies, giving them the appearance of fluid, mercurial torpedoes.

"What… what are they?" Rubedo managed. "I've never seen anything like it!" he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear, transfixed.

"They're dolphins," she said, and when Rubedo showed no comprehension, she continued, "They're the kind that used to live on Lost Jerusalem. They're mammals that evolved to live in the water. That's what mom told me when Nigredo asked her about them for me." Rubedo's fascination turned to disbelief.

"Wait. You mean you'd never seen them or heard of them before now, and they just turned up in your domain?" Sakura nodded.

"Amazing," Rubedo whispered breathlessly. They stood and watched the dolphins at their play for a few more moments, and then Rubedo turned to face her, his palm sweating in hers. He gulped.

"You know, Sakura, this really means a lot to me. If it weren't for you… I'd never have had the chance to see something like this." A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Sakura's hand squeezed his gently.

"I know. I think that's why they're here. I… wanted to make you happy, Rubedo." Rubedo said nothing, his cheeks turning a bright crimson. Sakura gave him a bright grin, releasing his hand and clambering down the grassy dune to the warm, wet sand of the beach. "Come on, Rubedo!" He returned the grin, following her down to the water's edge and enjoying the crunch of the sand under his boots. He had them removed, along with his shirt, within a matter of seconds. When he looked back, however, Sakura was still standing in the surf, the water ebbing and flowing over her toes. She wore a glum expression on her face, blushing a pretty pink.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" he called back to her in concern. She looked back at him, shrugging.

"I forgot my bathing suit," she said morosely. Rubedo's heart sank in realization.

"Oh…" He tried unsuccessfully to hide the disappointment from his voice. After a moment's pause, a sly smile crept onto Sakura's face.

"Do me a favor. Go further out and turn around." Rubedo nodded in bewilderment and complied, wading out until the cool water was up to his chest and gazing out toward the dolphins still leaping in the distance. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a short while later, two arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders. He didn't turn around.

"S-Sakura?" he asked haltingly, eyes wide. Sakura simply giggled in response, tracing a wet finger along the dry, tanned skin of his shoulder. Rubedo shivered. "What are you doing?" His alarm elicited another giggle from Sakura.

"I couldn't let you have all the fun, now could I?" she said impishly, removing herself from him and taking a few steps back. "You can turn around now." Rubedo did so, as slowly as he dared. Sakura tread water lazily, a few feet closer to shore. He noticed with a flutter in his stomach that from what he could see of her shoulders—which was all of them—she wasn't wearing anything.

"Are-are you…?" he trailed off, unwilling to say it. Sakura nodded bashfully. He felt his cheeks sting, and he knew at once it wasn't sunburn. He slowly sank down into the cooling water, till only his eyes showed above it. Sakura grinned.

"You're so easy to embarrass, Rubedo!" she laughed. "We're the only ones here. It's not like we have to worry about anyone seeing us."

"Yeah, but," Rubedo bubbled, "I've… never seen a girl… like that before." He looked away, even the tips of his ears now a brilliant scarlet. "My sister Citrine is the only other girl I've met," he said evasively. Sakura lifted a hand out of the water, turning his chin so he faced her. He locked eyes with her in surprise.

"It's okay, Rubedo. You don't have to be ashamed or embarrassed. I don't mind." When she didn't get a response from him she ducked underwater, quickly filling her mouth and squirting it at him. "Let's play already!"

"Hey," he cried, snapping out of his daze and grinning. He formed a cup out of his hand and swung his arm, skimming the water and spraying Sakura in the face. She blinked and spluttered, thoroughly drenched. Rubedo paused, agape, and then ducked underwater as quickly as he could to avoid her retaliation. They splashed and cavorted until they'd each swallowed enough water to fill a cup, then returned to treading water, laughing merrily.

"I have an idea," Rubedo said, eyes lighting up. "Albedo and I used to do it when we were little and still took baths together. We both go underwater and one of us says something, and the other has to try and figure out what they just said."

"Sounds like fun," Sakura agreed happily. "I'll go first," she offered. They both sank beneath the water on the count of three. Rubedo shut his eyes tightly, awaiting Sakura's words. Instead, he felt soft lips brush against his delicately. He blinked his eyes open, expelling all his air through his nose at once. Sakura hovered just inches from his face, blushing even underwater. Rubedo surfaced, gasping. This time it was Sakura's turn to hide her mortified face beneath the waves. "Sorry," she mumbled. Rubedo couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. He reached out, knuckles tentatively grazing her cheek.

"It's okay, Sakura," he consoled her. "I… I liked it." Sakura took his hand in hers, rising the rest of the way out of the water.

"Really?" she asked in a small voice. Rubedo grinned back at her.

"Well, it's not the way Albedo and I used to play it, but I definitely think it's an improvement." Sakura said nothing but stared back at him, a small smile stealing across her features. Her lips were so soft, and her eyes such a beautiful green, he thought. He gazed into them, unconsciously drifting closer to her.

"Rubedo, I—" Sakura began, but she was cut off when their lips met again in a chaste kiss. Her heart fluttered within her, as did his, and she pulled away to gaze at him once more. Breathless, they floated mere inched from each other, until they both began babbling apologies.

"I'm so sorry!"

"I don't know what got into me."

"I'll never do it again."

"Never?" Sakura demanded suddenly, interrupting Rubedo's next plea for forgiveness. Rubedo paused, shocked. "Because," she continued, averting her eyes, "I… love you, Rubedo. You do know that, right?" Her voice was a mere whisper, wavering falteringly. She trembled slightly, and Rubedo felt his heart ache. He reached out, gently pulling her into his arms. She melted into his embrace, leaning her head against his chest.

"I know," he whispered soothingly. "I love you too." Sakura wrapped her arms more tightly around him in wordless thanks. He found himself blushing even yet as he realized just what parts of her were pressing against him. He let his fingers wander this time, into her hair, running the damp strands between his fingers, and then placing his forefinger under her chin, he brought their lips together again. This time they parted slightly for him, and Rubedo tentatively explored her lips with his tongue, until to his surprise, Sakura deepened the kiss. Rubedo paused in trepidation, but relaxed as his instincts kicked in. He slipped his tongue into her mouth cautiously, aware of the need to pace himself. His body, however, reacted instantly, in the most interesting and simultaneously embarrassing ways. The blood rushed from his head, and with another quick peck to Sakura's lips, he backed away. "I… um…"

"I noticed," Sakura giggled. Rubedo turned a deeper shade of red in response. "It's okay, I don't mind," she reassured him. He stood stock still in apprehension as she approached him again, reaching out through the water to let her fingers graze his chest. Like lightning, shock and a little bit of something else shot down his spine. Sakura pulled closer, tracing a path down his torso to his stomach and lower. Rubedo let out a gasp as her fingers slipped inside his pants and brushed against him. "So this is what the fuss is all about."

"Well, um… Ah!" he cried as her hand curled delicately around him. For one blissful moment, he forgot about being embarrassed and pulled her against him, painfully aware of only her body pressed to his crotch. "You're cheating," he growled into her hair.

"Fine," she said, taking his hand in hers and placing it upon one small but supple breast. Rubedo suddenly remembered the here and now and realized just what he was doing; yet he didn't remove his hand. "Come on," she said, guiding his fingers across her chest. She sighed softly as he began exploring her body, feeling, rather than seeing her contours. She blushed as his hands found her hips and her backside, looking away but the smile never leaving her face.

"You're beautiful," he whispered in her ear after he'd had his fill. She scoffed lightly but didn't argue with him.

"So are you," she said, and with all her daring, she tugged on his pants until they slipped off, eventually drifting up to the surface. "Will you hold me, just like this?" she asked quietly. Wordlessly, he pulled her arms around him and hefted her easily into his arms, supporting her as her legs wrapped around him.

"Like this? As long as you want," he murmured. They stayed like this, pressed together until only the tips of Sakura's hair dangling in the water were still damp.

The sun had passed its zenith by this time and the day had reached its hottest, so when they finally headed back to shore they contented themselves to sit in the grassy shade of the nearest tree. Rubedo rolled around in the grass, ridding himself of the sand he'd picked up. Sakura sat beside him with her knees pulled up to her chest, rivulets of water trailing down her skin. When Rubedo finally finished, he had to stare at her for a moment, fixing the image of her into his mind.

"You are so beautiful," he repeated, pushing the bangs from her eyes. He started when, instead of seeing the bright smile he'd expected, a single tear ran down her cheek. He jumped closer in concern. "What's wrong?" he asked urgently. When Sakura spoke, her voice was barely composed.

"Today… today has been the best day of my life, Rubedo." She paused, as if searching her brain for words, then choked out, "Rubedo, I'm gonna die!" Her shoulders began to tremble as silent tears tracked paths down her face. Rubedo sat stunned for a moment, before he felt the heat of his temper rise.

"How can you say that?! You don't know that! All of us are trying to beat this thing, and we're gonna figure it out!" he cried fiercely.

"I can just feel it," Sakura sobbed, resting her head on her knees. "I don't have much time. In just a little while longer…" she whispered in despair. "There're so many things I wish I could have done." Rubedo grabbed her by the shoulders firmly, forcing her to look into his eyes.

"Look at me, Sakura. I'm not giving up!" he said defiantly. Sakura's tears did not stop, and she didn't seem to cheer up much, but she gave him a small smile.

"I'll be brave for you, no matter what happens." Rubedo smiled back, caressing her hair tenderly.

"That's much better." Sakura allowed herself to be pulled into his arms, his now gentle touch raising goose bumps on her tender skin.

"I just… I just wish I'd had the time to meet my sister. To have a family of my own. To be loved by you." She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. Rubedo didn't know what to say, so instead of using words, he squeezed her hand gently. Sakura looked up at him in askance, and yet maintaining the silence between them, Rubedo knew exactly what she wanted. He wanted it, too. He pulled her legs around him so that she straddled him, and began trailing kisses along her jaw and up to her ear. "Just once," she whispered. "I want to know what it's like."

"I know," he nodded, his breath on her bare skin making Sakura shiver. He continued to let his kisses trail, down her shoulder to her arm and finally to the inside of her wrist. His heart raced within him, and he felt from Sakura's pulse that hers did too. He knew everything technical about the act there was to know—the U.R.T.V.'s weren't raised like normal children; there was no 'talk'. Nevertheless, his anxiety mounted, broken only by Sakura's lips, smiling against his. This time he deepened the kiss, groaning as he felt Sakura's weight pressing down on him. Her alluring scent only drove him madder, and he nipped her lower lip gently. She shifted upon him, moaning into his mouth. Their breaths grew quicker as they began to feel each other's arousal.

"Rubedo, please. I… I need you," Sakura breathed. Rubedo cut her off with another kiss, as his hands roamed her body. Gently, he laid her down on the grass, shifting their positions so he was above her. Sakura looked up into his eyes, her own glazed in satisfaction. Rubedo slid his arms under hers and lowered himself onto her until he was so tantalizingly close he could have screamed. Her body heat radiated upward through him, and as his lips hovered so near to Sakura's she saw his eyes were half-lidded.

"I don't want to hurt you," Rubedo murmured, his bangs brushing against her face.

"Please don't worry about that," Sakura smiled, lifting her head to kiss him softly on the lips. "I love you. It'll be so worth it." Rubedo's lips quirked at this, but he said nothing, settling on top of her. He gasped as their heated skin finally made contact. Sakura beamed up at him, taking his hand in hers, their fingers lacing together.

"I love you too," he whispered, and he melted into her, the sun-dappled leaf shadows dancing across their skin as they made love under the azure summer sky. The pleasure raced through them both until it finally crashed down upon Rubedo like a wave. Sakura's arms flew around him as he collapsed onto her, his breath ragged but beginning to slow.

"Shh," she smiled, her fingers slipping into his crimson hair gently. He slowly raised himself off of her to gaze into her eyes.

"Still crying?" Rubedo marveled as tears streaked from her eyes. She grinned though, dispelling the fear that he'd done something wrong.

"It's because I'm happy," she whispered. Rubedo nodded, unable to keep the moistness from his own eyes. He scoffed lightly, rolling off her.

"Look what you turned me into," he mused. "Some weapon I am." Sakura shifted closer to him, resting her head on his chest.

"Whatever you say. You've always been this kind," she said peacefully. The blush crept up Rubedo's cheeks once again. "Thank you, Rubedo," she sighed. Exhaustion was setting into her voice. Rubedo's arms encircled her, a sluggish smile spreading across his face. He began stroking her hair and her sun-kissed skin contentedly, the dull roar of the waves lulling him slowly to sleep.

"Anytime," he whispered. They stayed in each other's arms, smiling and listening to each other's heartbeats until their breaths fell into shallow, even rhythms. In the distance, the dolphins played.

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"Dive-pod number three, disengaging," the same technician droned, some time later. Rubedo felt his senses in the real world slowly returning to him, but the cold didn't bother him anymore. He stepped out of the dive-pod, the smile still on his face. A towering shadow blocked his path however, and he looked up, cringing.

"Dad?" Dr. Yuriev stood over him, arms crossed and a severe frown aimed at him. Despite himself, he cowered under the man's harsh stare. "What is it?" he mumbled, fear gripping him. Dr. Yuriev's frown deepened.

"Don't play dumb," he growled, causing Rubedo to shrink back. "We picked up some very… unusual waveforms from you today," he said in an inscrutable tone. Rubedo swallowed, a cold sweat turning his hands clammy. He struggled to think of an excuse.

"Dad, I—"

"I know what you did," Yuriev interrupted. "No use making excuses." He stared Rubedo down in uncomfortable silence until the boy felt like melting into his boots. Then unexpectedly, Yuriev looked away, sighing. After a long pause, he said finally, "If you can do nothing else for her… at the very least, try to make her happy." Rubedo nodded, stunned. He opened his mouth to say something, but Yuriev had already turned to walk away. Rubedo stood for a moment, the smile ever so slowly returning. Then with a grin he reached into his pocket and pulled out his harmonica. That evening, the Institute's courtyard rang with the lazy, contented notes of the blues.


	2. The Days of Winter

**Disclaimer: **If I owned 'Saga, it'd have much more sex, if I owned 'Saga it'd be rated X. If I owned 'Saga, life would be a blast, but I don't own 'Saga, so don't sue my ass!

**A/N: **Second in a series of vignettes from Jr.'s life and his relationships. As you might have guessed, each part will be named after a line in "Sweet Song." This one's a little angsty/tragic. Still Jr. x Sakura. Be aware that this is the "clean" version. If you'd like to see the "unclean" version (lol), pm me, or find me a good Xeno fanfiction site with laxer rules where I can post it. Please R&R if you like it. Suggestions and critiques are absolutely welcome!

**The Days of Winter**

Ever since he'd come back from the encephalon with that silly grin plastered to his face, things had been different. Rubedo had been afraid of it; that somehow Albedo would find out what he'd done. He knew Albedo hated Sakura, but he just couldn't understand why.

That night began like every other night. They finished their bland, institutional MRE-like meals, changed into their drab pajamas, brushed their teeth and went to bed. As per usual, Nigredo lay awake with their cat, Gaignun, staring silently at the ceiling, and Rubedo drifted off, leaving Albedo alone with his thoughts. After a few hours, even Nigredo fell asleep, his breathing slow and rhythmic. Albedo blinked around in the dark, fumbling for the railing of his bunk. He swung down silently, and landed catlike on Rubedo's mattress. When Rubedo didn't stir, Albedo reached out cautiously with the mental link, projecting his presence onto Rubedo's consciousness. Rubedo murmured groggily, recognizing Albedo and reaching out for him. Albedo settled next to Rubedo, gazing at him eye-to-eye, but careful not to let any part of their bodies touch.

"What's the matter?" the flame-headed boy mumbled, his sleepy brain uncomprehending. Albedo frowned, reaching out to touch Rubedo's face but stopping just short.

"I know what you did, Rubedo. I felt it through the link," Albedo whispered, violet eyes glinting in the dark, and all of Rubedo's fears were confirmed. He blinked fully awake, a cold knot seizing in his stomach. He knew what he'd done had hurt his twin, and although he played the gruff older brother on the outside, Albedo had a place in his heart like no other. Albedo _was _his heart.

"Albedo, I—" he started, but his twin cut him off.

"Be quiet." He paused, unsure, then finally let his fingers come to rest on Rubedo's cheek. "I know." His eyes began to water, and, seeing his tears, Rubedo followed suit.

"You know I love you, baby brother, right?" he choked, trying with all his might to keep his voice steady. Albedo didn't answer at first, but after a long moment of silence, he replied.

"Right." The uncertainty in his twin's voice concerned him, so he reached out, scooping Albedo's thin frame into his arms. Albedo allowed himself to be cuddled, snuggling against his brother's chest and thinking to himself that this was what he'd wanted all along. He contented himself with the hope that he'd find a way to make sure that Rubedo would be all his someday. 'Somehow, Sakura,' was his last thought before his mind drifted into the land of dreams.

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What greeted Rubedo this time were not the warmth and the sounds of summer, but the steady rush of endless white and biting cold. The snow billowed around him, carried aloft by the relentless wind and lodging in his crimson hair, a shocking contrast against the landscape. Rubedo shrugged his shoulders, hunching his jacket around him and burying his bare hands in his armpits for warmth. His boots crunching in the snow, he set off once again for the cottage, trailing puffs of steamy breath like a tiny locomotive.

When he arrived at the house he gaped for a moment, disbelieving at the dazzling white that had accumulated and piled up to the second-story windows. The front porch was nearly completely invisible.

"Sakura?" he called out uncertainly, dancing in his soaked boots. When he didn't get an answer he struggled up the soft, powdery slope to the roof of the porch and he knocked apprehensively on the shuttered window. After a tense moment, the window finally slid open and the shutters cracked, and Sakura's pale face peeked out at him.

"Rubedo!" she exclaimed, opening the shutters wider and helping to pull him in as he scrambled over the sill. She closed the window tightly behind him and shuttered it once again. Rubedo clambered to his feet, blinking. His breath still came out in puffs.

"Sakura, it's freezing!" he cried, pulling his wet boots and socks off and draping his jacket over her, which she gratefully accepted. "What is this stuff?" He peered through the crack in the shutter at the white-blanketed landscape once more before turning to Sakura.

"It's snow," she shivered, her teeth chattering. "Cold," she whispered, drawing closer to Rubedo. He absorbed her in his embrace, feeling the chill in her hands and her nose and lips.

"No kidding," he muttered, rubbing her arms to warm her up. "Isn't there some way to make it warmer in here?" Sakura shook her head regretfully.

"I ran out of firewood a few days ago." Something in her voice piqued his concern. He couldn't put his finger on what it was, but regardless, he wanted her to know that he was there for her. She read his mind, whispering silently, "I'm glad you're here. Thanks for coming to see me." She smiled wanly up at him.

"Sakura…" he sighed. She seemed like she needed some cheering up, so he clapped his hands together, rubbing them to keep the circulation going. "So, looks like we need some wood so we can start ourselves a fire!" He made sure to keep his voice steady and cheery. Sakura smiled at him.

"Well, the back door isn't buried in snow, so you can go out that way. The woodpile is empty, but I think there's some limbs back there we could make a fire out of. I would have gone myself, but…" she trailed off. Rubedo silenced her with a grin.

"Leave it to me!" He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, tying the sleeves of his jacket around her shoulders and heading down to the door barefoot and wearing only his thin shirt. No sense in wearing wet boots anyway when he could just stick his feet in the fire afterwards. The thin sheet of frost on the back porch stung his feet, but he was made for survival and it didn't bother him too much. He trudged through the snow, his feet sinking instantly to the frozen ground. It was lucky that after only a short while he came across a large pile of fallen limbs. He shook as much snow off as he could, snapping off the small branches until he had some good sturdy logs. He tucked them under his arms and hauled them back, one by one, until he had the woodpile halfway refilled, plus logs for today's fire. Sakura stood at the back door, her face pressed to the glass, watching him. He gave her a reassuring smile as he came back inside, shaking the snow off himself.

"You were out there for so long, Rubedo," she cried, taking some of the logs from him and tossing them into the fireplace. "Are you alright?" He flashed a grim smile, but it quickly turned to a frown.

"You forget, I'm just a weapon. If I couldn't survive a little cold, I wouldn't be very useful, right?" Unwilling to concede the point to him, Sakura shook her head.

"It's because you're strong. I don't think even Albedo could have managed that, and he's just like you!" Rubedo felt a pang in his heart at the mention of his twin's name, but he appreciated what Sakura was trying to do for him so he hid it behind a grin.

"I guess not." He knelt down, striking a match and lighting a fire-starter and placing it strategically beneath the logs. He sensed Sakura watching him, so when the fire had begun crackling merrily, he stood and turned to face her. She had the same downcast look on her face. It nearly broke Rubedo's heart to see her like that. "Sakura, please," he sighed, holding out his arms. "Come sit with me?" She nodded, settling down beside him on the floor. Rubedo considered things for a moment, then threw hesitancy to the wind and scooped her into his lap. She didn't resist, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"You're warm." There it was—the barest glimmer of a smile. That's what he wanted to see. He gave her an honest grin.

"I can't help it if you're sitting on me." A small, unexpected giggle escaped Sakura's lips, and even she looked surprised. But after a few moments the subtle frown reappeared. Determined to get her mind off of whatever is was that was bothering her, Rubedo ventured, "So where did all this… snow stuff come from anyway? Not too long ago it was summer, and then fall and it was cool, but not cold like this. Did it come overnight?" Sakura nodded and Rubedo blinked in surprise, expecting that her answer would have been 'no.'

"I think I know why, too," she murmured gloomily. Rubedo sensed she was about to continue, so he squeezed her hand encouragingly. "It's because of U-DO."

Rubedo's hand went slack. In a carefully indifferent tone he asked, "Why do you say that?" He hoped beyond hope that she didn't feel his heart pounding. He didn't want to scare her.

"This world I've created revolves around me. My consciousness. My memories. My moods." Her voice sounded flat and dead in Rubedo's ears. "U-DO spoke to me. He told me something. Just one word. But it was enough to make me feel like that." She pointed toward the back window, to the perpetually gray sky and howling, swirling winds. Rubedo's blood turned to ice.

"Sakura," he whimpered, all pretenses of emotional strength dropped. "What did U-DO say?" He felt dread coil in his gut like a sickly python squeezing his insides. Her next word was a barely audible whisper.

"Soon."

"That could mean anything," Rubedo blinked, fighting down the inevitable realization of the truth he'd have to face. Sakura shook her head, hot tears beginning to stream down her face.

"It means my time is running out, Rubedo." Her words cut into Rubedo's heart like a knife.

"I told you, I'm not giving up!" he choked, and even he couldn't stop the salty tears he'd tried so hard to suppress. He wracked his brain over and over, trying to think of something, anything they could have missed in her treatment thus far. Nothing came to him. She'd been improving somewhat, but it was too slow. If she had little time left… No. He forced the thoughts from his head. "Let us try… Let us try to help you one more time. Will you do that for me?" She couldn't speak to answer him, her body shaking in his arms with the force of her grief. She gave a small nod. Rubedo steeled himself, wiping away the saltiness from his eyes. He had to be strong, for both of them. Even for Albedo. "We will fix this." He squeezed her tighter.

"I'm just so lucky to have met someone so wonderful," Sakura managed. Rubedo gulped, afraid that if he said anything, his carefully constructed composure would come crumbling down. "Do you remember the promise you made me this summer?" Rubedo nodded.

"I—of course I do…" He marveled at how small his voice sounded in his ears. "And I'm gonna keep it." Sakura's fingers intertwined with his.

"Thank you, Rubedo," she said, and he found that her voice had gotten some of its strength back. "As long as you protect them, I'll be happy no matter what."

"Don't say that," he croaked, but his heart wasn't in it. This time it was Sakura's turn to squeeze his hand.

"Cheer up, Rubedo! Just look at how pretty the fire is."

"Yeah," he conceded blankly. He blinked as Sakura edged in closer to him. How could she even think about wanting to kiss him at a time like this? Realization sunk in soon after he'd thought that, though. He wasn't just a distraction from the pain. Sakura wanted the little time they had left together to be special. Rubedo would give her that. He leaned in close and their lips brushed, sending a tingle down his spine. His fingers found her hair, twining through the delicate strands and stroking them. Sakura sighed.

"If I could freeze one moment in time, it would be now." She reached up to brush a finger against his cheek, smiling at the faint flush that appeared there.

"Yeah…" But Rubedo didn't want to think. He wanted to lose himself in this girl he'd fallen so deeply in love with. He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him and feeling her warm, comfortable weight on his nether regions. The feeling was pleasantly mind-numbing. Sakura didn't resist. He let his hands wander over her, hers his thoughts flashed to Albedo, but there was no turning back now. He wanted this. He _needed_ this. Albedo would just have to understand. And as his and Sakura's tongues made war, his thoughts of Albedo vanished as quickly as the sun behind a cloud. He pressed himself against her, feeling the warmth in their bodies rising with the heat of fires both internal and external and forcing back the cold. Soon Rubedo began to overheat, panting in the room that had become oddly steamy. He peeled his thin shirt from his skin, watching hungrily as Sakura did the same, tugging at the tie at the back of her dress. When her skin was bared he was almost frantic, pressing his mouth to that flesh as if it might disappear at any moment.

"Rubedo, please," Sakura murmured. Rubedo felt the fire within him flare at her words, and in an instant his pants were off, discarded several feet away. He laid her down on the blanket in front of the fire, hovering so close to her that his bangs brushed against her forehead. Then that pivotal moment passed and they gave in to all their needs, throwing inhibition to the wind.

"Sakura," Rubedo growled. He relished the feeling of control. After all, it was the only thing in his life Rubedo actually seemed to have control over. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't save Sakura. No. He wouldn't think about it. He wouldn't…

"Rubedo?" Sakura gasped. Tears dripped down his nose, falling on Sakura's cheeks. The pain was catching up with him. Still, he made love to her, his emotions mingling with the pleasure and turning it bittersweet. Finally they overtook him and he collapsed, shuddering and clinging to Sakura desperately with all his remaining strength.

"Please don't leave me,' he cried, and for once, Sakura did not have a comforting reply to give him. For a moment the knife in his heart gave way to what pieces of the shattered mind he still held onto, and Rubedo thought he saw how Albedo must have felt that day he found out he would live on after Rubedo's inevitable death. Then exhaustion finally overcame him and as he drifted off, still in Sakura's embrace, Rubedo thought that even the fire didn't look quite so cheery anymore…

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Rubedo was back. Albedo could feel it by the sudden onslaught of emotions that crashed down the link like a tidal wave. He threw up his mental barriers reflexively, until Rubedo had settled down enough to control his thoughts. Even Albedo's barriers, however, couldn't block everything, and as he strode towards the dive room, a single empathetic tear rolled unbidden down his cheek, only to be wiped quickly away by his sleeve. He burst through the door, so ready to let his twin have more than just a piece of his mind, to tell him he _knew_ what was happening, but as soon as he saw Rubedo's face his anger crumbled like a house of cards. His twin was a helpless wreck. He was pathetic, and that scared Albedo to no end. Instantly he was at his brother's side, pulling his limp frame to his body and running his fingers through the shock of red hair comfortingly.

'_Albedo,' _Rubedo's voice called in his head plaintively. '_Help me. Please…'_ Albedo nodded, half supporting his brother's weight back to their room as the technicians and Dr. Yuriev looked on concernedly.

Nigredo had thankfully left the room empty for them, so Albedo laid his twin's listless form across the bottom bunk, crawling in beside him and wrapping his arms around him. He sensed Rubedo's confusion at Albedo's sudden change of heart.

'_Albedo..?'_ he murmured softly. Albedo shushed him, projecting an aura of warm comfort into his mind. Rubedo sighed deeply in relief. Albedo wasn't mad at him. He didn't hate him for falling in love with Sakura. Albedo still loved him. But all Rubedo wanted to do was rest. He was beyond exhaustion. But he needed his strength if he was going to be brave for all three of them. He had to if…

Albedo gave a small smile as his twin's breathing slowed from erratic to shallow and rhythmic. He had wanted so much to be mad at his brother, but now he couldn't bring himself to do anything but hold him in his arms, whispering soft nonsense and running his fingers through that soft crimson hair. Albedo wanted so much to take Rubedo's pain away from him. To make things right with his other half. He couldn't stand to see Rubedo like this. It wasn't Rubedo's fault he was like this, or even that he had hurt Albedo. It was… that girl's. His smile turned into a deep scowl. If it weren't for that girl, Rubedo wouldn't be so lost, so hurt and confused. She was the reason. She made Albedo sick. Dying and still daring to take pity on them. On _him._ But no. Albedo _would_ find a way to protect his brother from the pain. Regardless of what it took.

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Sakura squinted out into the snow as she heard footsteps approaching the cottage. It had been two days since Rubedo had made love to her and then left without a word. She hoped so desperately she'd see that shock of blood red hair coming toward her, but the boy that made his way there today, crunching through the snow, blended in perfectly with his surroundings. "Albedo?" she called out, slightly disappointed and confused.

"Hey, Sakura," he called out from below her window in a frighteningly chipper voice. Something about his tone set Sakura on guard, but she had no reason to be impolite to him.

"Come around the back," she called down, and she ran down to the back door to get it for him. He stepped inside, a moment later, brushing snowflakes from his milky hair. He gazed at her, uncannily Rubedo and yet not. He smiled, and though it reached his eyes, Sakura had a strange feeling about it. "Nice to see you."

"Wonderful to see you too," Albedo said, sickeningly sweetly. "Rubedo really misses you, but he's got some important link training to do today," he said matter-of-factly, laying the cards on the table. It was only half a lie. Or maybe three quarters. At least Rubedo missed her. What neither he nor Sakura knew, though, was that Albedo was here in the encephalon alone. With no technician, he'd programmed the dive pods himself and initiated a timed dive. "I'm here to help you with your treatment today."

Sakura wondered for a moment. Today was not a regularly scheduled treatment day. But she didn't argue. "Okay." She allowed herself to be dressed up in a hooded parka and boots. Albedo smiled at her.

"We're going outside, of course, but not too far. Just stick with me so you don't get lost in all this snow." Something in Albedo's voice was beginning to make Sakura uncomfortable, but she had no choice but to follow him out the door into the swirling white miasma.

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Albedo grinned. His fine, pale features were to his advantage today. He had led Sakura over a mile from the cottage through the biting cold, taking odd shortcuts and keeping just far enough ahead of her that she could see him. She was struggling, her steps becoming more and more sluggish as time went on. She called to him several times, but each time he pretended her voice was swallowed by the howling wind and he didn't hear her. Albedo came to a clearing in the path, and smirking, decided it was time to melt away into the landscape.

"Albedo?" he heard Sakura call. She approached the clearing, peering left and right through the snowfall, searching for him. He noted with some satisfaction the blue of her lips and how her fear was becoming visible, emanating from her body in waves. She stopped in the dead center of the frozen glade as panic overtook her. "Albedo! Rubedo! Where are you? Somebody!" She collapsed to her knees in the snow, her sobs coming out in puffs of steam. Albedo grinned, catlike. She wouldn't be around much longer to hurt Rubedo. She couldn't last for long in this cold. But somewhere in the back of her mind, Sakura now knew that too. She knew what Albedo was doing, that no one was coming to save her. Albedo could feel it even without a mental link. She knew she was doomed. The fear gathered around her like a red-violet aura. But suddenly, the cold pierced Albedo full-force. His heart froze in his chest. Something wasn't right.

'_So that's the fear that Sakura holds…'_ The words rang out in Albedo's mind and struck him like a knife in the gut. This fear. It wasn't just Sakura's fear. U-DO.

"No!" Sakura cried weakly, collapsing onto her hands in the snow as the terror gripped her and gained power, steadily becoming more than herself. "Please… go away, leave me alone!" What Sakura couldn't sense, Albedo now saw rising out of the girl like a living, seething hurricane. Albedo was transfixed, gazing at the death warrant he had signed for them both. What had he done?

"Sakura!" he yelled, coming to his senses and taking a step out into the clearing. Immediately the churning tornado of energy reacted, turning toward him. He froze in place, as if in slow motion, terrifyingly familiar beams of that red-violet glow came streaking toward him, their antithesis. In an instant, Albedo's mind saw the moment just like this, now seemingly so long ago, when the Standards had become infected, those dread tendrils desecrating and contaminating their bodies. He saw himself, beating Number 623 bloody, decapitating himself in front of Rubedo and Nigredo, and childishly wishing U-DO would kill him so he wouldn't have to be without Rubedo. No. Rubedo. He couldn't leave Rubedo behind, not now! But it was too late. Just like the Standards had said, the waves were coming for him. It was too late. He closed his eyes and waited to die.

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Rubedo awoke with a start. He'd mostly slept the last two days, recovering from the mental exhaustion that had taken a physical toll on his body. Nigredo had kept watch over him since Albedo had disappeared inexplicably, one green eye kept constantly trained on him. Now he slid off his bunk and sat down by Rubedo's side. Rubedo clutched his pajamas in a knot over his heart. Nigredo laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"What is it, Rubedo?" The black-haired boy assumed it had something to do with the mental link. Most likely Albedo, since he and Rubedo were much more attuned to each other than to Nigredo. His expression remained calm, his concern for Rubedo more apparent in his voice.

"Something's wrong." Nigredo knew better than to doubt his brother's intuition. He pressed his lips together, venturing out and placing his hand on Rubedo's other hand. He didn't want to see his brothers hurt either. Though it wasn't his strong suit by any means, Nigredo would be there for them, no matter what.

Rubedo reached over and buried his fingers in the soft fur of the cat beside him. He pulled Gaignun into his lap, and he and Nigredo sat in anxious silence, stroking his comforting fur until a pound on the door shook them back to reality

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Death did not come for Albedo. Nor did he feel the awful pleasure-pain of being ripped apart from the inside and contaminated. He saw nothing but white, heard nothing but the endless hush of snowfall. He blinked, realizing he lay on his back. Dazed and sick, he pushed himself up into a sitting position and retched. When his eyes adjusted, the sight that greeted him was enough that it threatened to overwhelm his sanity, and it burned itself into his mind with horrifying detail. Sakura's mangled body lay twisted at his feet, her life spilling away into the snow in a sick, nightmarish clash of red on white. Somehow, she wasn't dead. She blinked up at him, her mouth moving silently. The rest of her body was in shreds. Albedo let out a low, involuntary moan.

"Why did you get in the way?!" he screamed, his voice breaking and choking on the words. "Why do you always get in the way?" This time it was more of a question and less of an accusation. He whimpered pitifully, finding himself inexorably drawn to her prone form.

"I… couldn't… let… it kill you," Sakura choked out, the bloody corners of her mouth tugging upward in a weak smile. Albedo moaned again in agony, tears blinding his vision.

"Why..?" he cried, tearing at his hair. "Why did you get between me and U-DO knowing that Rubedo loves you? You knew this was all my fault! You _knew!_" There was that tiny smile again, rending Albedo's heart.

"I… did all I could… for Rubedo. It's… you… that has to… save him." She shut her eyes tightly, gathering her strength against the suffocating cold. "You're… a good person… just like him." She fell silent once more, breathing becoming more and more ragged. Albedo crawled over to her, pulling her limp body into his lap and cradling her head.

"Sakura, I'm so sorry… I'm so fucking sorry!" he sobbed, mourning her, Rubedo and even himself all at once. This time she had no answer for him. Sakura's once sparkling virescent eyes fluttered, once, twice, then closed. Forever. Now the only sound was the deafening silence and Albedo's choking sobs. He didn't move as the warmth slowly faded from her body. He stayed with her until the dive timed out, and he was pulled back into the world of reality.

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A silence so thick it was tangible hung in the room until it was pierced by the shrill wail of a woman crushed by grief. She knelt beside the table on which the small, prone form of her daughter lay, her shoulders heaving. The technicians all looked everywhere but at her, the awkwardness of the situation and the fact that they were required to be there making them feel as if they were intruding upon something, as in fact they were. Three hearts were broken that day. Something that no one else should have to see.

Two normally sparkling blue eyes stared blankly at the body on the table. Rubedo was in shock. Comprehension of what had happened was lost on him, and would be lost for the next several hours at least. He might as well have been dead himself.

His mirror image stood opposite from him, against the other wall, violet eyes clenched tightly shut, willing the body to be gone the next time he opened them. His fingers gently brushed against his throat, where raw handprints marked Juli Mizrahi's threat against his life. They had a record of what had happened, of course. Even if they didn't know Albedo's motive for leading Sakura to the clearing, they saw her sacrifice herself, jumping in front of U-DO at the last minute to save him. While he was officially clear of all guilt, his silence and the truth ate away at his soul. He could not bring himself to look at his twin.

Juli gripped her daughter's cold, lifeless hand. She could not understand. How could this have happened? An unofficial, unsupervised dive. Impossible. Risky. And now… Gone. Everything they had done to try and save her, useless. The prototype realian, useless. That poor boy. Rubedo. He had loved Sakura. Had had her torn away from him, as she'd been torn away from Juli. How? Why? It took several strong tranquilizers to pry her from her daughter's side and get her onto a stretcher.

Dr. Yuriev watched wordlessly from the corner until the body had been removed and everyone left, until he was alone with the two U.R.T.V.'s. "Come."

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Rubedo felt himself being shoved into their room roughly, but the pain didn't register as his head slammed into the metal pole of their shared bunk. Everything was white-hot nothingness for a while, until the unnatural fluorescent light came into focus, and he began to hear Albedo's sobs muffled into a pillow. The pain now hit him with force, pounding against his brain like a jackhammer. He crawled onto his mattress, and seeing Albedo there, pressed himself as close to his twin as he could. Albedo stopped crying for a moment only to see that it was Rubedo beside him.

"Why are you here?" he choked. "This… I-I didn't mean for… This happened because—"

"SHUT UP!" Rubedo screamed, his hands covering his ears. "Don't say it! If you say it I might have to hate you. I don't want to hate you! You're… you two are all I have left." He buried his face in Albedo's chest. Stunned, Albedo had no idea what to do. But no matter what, he couldn't stop the tears from flowing. It was too much for both of them.

Nigredo watched them silently from his bunk on the other end of the room. Then, for the first time since he couldn't remember when, he crept over to his brothers, sliding in opposite Albedo and holding them both. There would be no sleep for them that night, but Nigredo didn't care. He caressed them both gently with his mind, sending them thoughts of warm sunsets and cool, tranquil waters until finally, when the sun's rays peeked through the high, barred window, all three of them slept.


	3. Though the Night is So Dark

**Disclaimer: **If I owned 'Saga, it'd have much more sex, if I owned 'Saga it'd be rated X. If I owned 'Saga, life would be a blast, but I don't own 'Saga, so don't sue my ass!

**A/N: **Third in a series of vignettes from Jr.'s life and his relationships. This one's a little violent/angsty. I made several edits for content and accuracy, then managed to lose the most recent copy of this chapter. Let me know if you find any mistakes. Please R&R if you like it. Suggestions and critiques are absolutely welcome!

**Though The Night is So Dark**

It seemed so cruel that the sun was shining so brightly that morning. But who knows? Maybe Sakura would have wanted it that way. No. He was sure she would have. Rubedo sighed as he knelt in the soft, moist soil, not caring that it clung to him and soiled the knees of his uniform. The ache in his heart was still so raw and so fresh. For what seemed like the millionth time since that day a little over a month ago, tears brimmed at the corners of his eyes. But this time, for the first time, he didn't cry. Instead, he cleared his voice and began to speak shakily.

"Hi, Sakura. It's been a while, right? Since you… left. It's been hard, you know? Being all alone. Or at least I thought I was alone. Sakura, I don't know if you can even hear me, but I'd like to believe you can. If anyone would go to heaven it would be you." Rubedo's voice began to steady as he continued and gained confidence. "Anyway, I wanted to tell you that you can still count on me to keep my promise. You know, the one I made that day to protect your mother and sister." His hand reflexively went to the cheek where she'd kissed him that balmy evening. "Your sister still hasn't been born, but I swear to you that when I finally meet her I'll show her the love that you would have. And I," he said, sniffing and rubbing his nose with his sleeve, "I wanted to thank you. I can never, ever forget you and what we had. Even if it didn't end so well. Even though I… didn't get to say goodbye." He choked over those words, though he smiled. "Even after all that… You gave me hope. You set me free."

One errant tear trickled down to his chin, but he didn't stop it. It would be his last tear for her for quite a while. "Our mission is coming up really soon. Thanks to you, I think we got all the U-DO training we could ever need. Still, I can't say that I'm not a little scared. But I'm gonna do the best I can, for you and your little sister, okay? I promise." He reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a slim metallic object. He put it to his lips, and gathering all of his strength he began the solemn but hopeful little tune he had played while sitting beside Sakura so many times. He made it through without crying, and instead smiled at the memories of their time together in the real world. Of course she hadn't been able to speak to him, or really acknowledge his presence, but when he had begun to play his duet, he saw her smile, and that was enough. It was a memory he'd treasure till the day he died.

_Sakura Mizrahi, T.C. 4740-4752_: _Beloved daughter, dearest friend. _Rubedo ran his finger down the words chiseled in the stone of the obelisk-like marker. At its base, his hands began digging into the soft earth until he had made a small hollow. He gently placed the harmonica within it, and with a sweep of his hand, buried it. He patted down the loose soil until no sign of his offering was left.

"Goodbye, Sakura," he smiled. "Maybe someday we'll play a duet with the angels."

With one last, long look at her grave, he turned back toward the path and saw his twin and his father standing in the distance. It was time to go back. Yet at the same time, it was time to go forward. The future, and his promise awaited him.

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"Rubedo, I'm scared," came Albedo's plaintive voice from somewhere to his left. Rubedo reached out in the dark, and feeling his brother's hand, took it in his and gripped it.

"I know. Don't worry too much though. We're the variants, and we're prepared." He tried to project all the calmness and confidence into his voice that he felt himself. But the truth was, even Rubedo was a bit nervous. Nigredo sensed this and grasped Rubedo's other hand. He wanted them to know they were in this together.

The pitch black of the transport's cabin suddenly turned transparent, and all three variants gasped at the sight before them. The planet Zavarov receded behind them like a horizon becoming steadily more curved.

"The Institute's right there on the line of day, boys," the pilot's voice crackled over the comm. "We'll be entering the U.M.N column in approximately forty-two minutes. Until then, enjoy the ride."

"Woah," all three boys marveled in unison, hands and foreheads pressed against the transparent steel wall. Then Rubedo tore his gaze away from the quickly receding planet, and was met by the sight of millions upon millions of stars, twinkling at him from every direction. It was love at first sight. He wanted to be out there, cruising among those stars one day.

"It's so amazing," Nigredo breathed, showing a surprising amount of emotion for someone usually so calm and collected. "And I thought looking at the sky at night was cool." Rubedo grinned.

"And we haven't even entered hyperspace. I wonder what _that's_ gonna be like." He felt his heartbeat quicken in anticipation. However, the nine other occupants of the transport all had their heads turned toward him, wearing matching scowls.

"Don't get too excited. Remember the mission," said one of the blank-eyed Standards, adding, '_Monster.'_ Rubedo, chastised, sat back in his seat, but continued to stare out the window at the endless glitter. He wouldn't let the Standards faze him. To let him know he was okay, he flashed a smile at Albedo, whose fists had tightened. Albedo relaxed, and the three variants slumped down together in their seats.

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, the pilot's voice came back over the speakers, making Albedo jump. "We will be entering hyperspace in approximately one minute. U.R.T.V.'s are to return to their assigned seats and engage safety restraints. The boys complied, pulling the precautionary devices down over their heads. The sides of the transport became opaque, drawing a sigh from Nigredo. Albedo's hand found Rubedo's again, and then suddenly the craft was vibrating, and their senses suddenly piqued. For any normal human, entering hyperspace felt like nothing, the vibration of the craft they occupied and the visual changes being the only difference. But for the U.R.T.V.'s the shift was like a mental atom bomb.

"The waves!" Rubedo cried, looking around futilely. "It's like a billion different people all talking at once!" The ship's hull became clear once again, and the sparkling golden orange wall of the column seemed to echo the magnitude of what they felt.

"I can feel them too," Albedo whispered. It's like some sort of consciousness or something!" He shrank down into his seat, almost threatened.

"Don't be silly," Nigredo said, but his surprise betrayed them. "Consciousnesses in the U.M.N.? The only consciousness in the U.M.N. that we know of is U-DO, and that's not it. Probably just random wavelengths that just feel like consciousnesses." Rubedo and Albedo slowly nodded in agreement. Of course, Nigredo was right. The boys sat in subdued silence until the craft exited the gate and Miltia hung in the distance like an ill omen.

"Do you get a bad feeling about this, Rubedo?" Albedo ventured as they entered the atmosphere and the walls went dark again. The truth was that Rubedo did, but he answered as he felt he should.

"Don't worry, remember? I'm the link master. You can count on me." Albedo gave him a relieved smile. "I'll hold your hand when we get there, okay?" His twin nodded.

"All U.R.T.V. units, we are now approaching the drop site. Target is Labyrinthos, zero-point-nine kilometers from drop site. You will proceed to coordinates NN441, and carry out the mission as per Dr. Yuriev's orders." The intercom crackled, then they heard a click as it shut off.

"They didn't mention what we're supposed to do when we complete the mission," Nigredo murmured, and the slight apprehension in his voice wasn't lost on the other two.

"I guess we just come back to the drop site to get picked up," Rubedo said with all the confidence he could muster. The Standards had nothing to say, and they all sat in ominous silence until a sudden jarring vibrated through their feet and they knew they had touched down. A crack appeared in the wall in front of them, and feeble sunlight shone through, illuminating particles of dust in the air outside.

"Time to go," Nigredo said, and they all released the latches on the restraining devices. Rubedo stood, stretching his muscles as the Standards all did the same in unison. They marched down the gangplank, each slinging their rifles over their shoulders as they got to the door. Suddenly they heard a caterwaul behind them and a small black and white streak blew past their legs and into the blasted Miltian landscape.

"Gaignun!" Rubedo yelled incredulously. "How did he get on the ship?! Did someone let him on?" He looked around, pinning Albedo with his angry cobalt gaze, but Albedo looked to Nigredo, and it was Nigredo that stared at the ground in guilty silence. Incredulously, Rubedo shook his head. "I'm surprised, Nigredo."

"I didn't want to just leave him behind," Nigredo said quietly. "I didn't think he'd just run off, though. Rubedo clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Alright. We'll just look for him when we're done with the mission." A nod from Nigredo and they were off, trailing behind the Standards marching in perfect formation.

"This place is creepy," Albedo shuddered after they'd been marching for a while. Though the area around them was deserted and in ruins, they could hear gunfire and screaming in the distance. They'd passed under wrecked bridges, through a ruined park, and worst, seen countless human and realian bodies strewn about in their own blood. Labyrinthos soared up toward the sky like a giant tuning fork before them, the last of the sun's dying rays blocked by its shadow.

"We're almost there," Rubedo assured him, holding Albedo's free hand in his own. The butt of his rifle was in his other hand, his palm sweating against it. It didn't help their feelings of apprehension when they finally reached the entrance to the massive tower. Even the doorway into the dark building was imposing.

Once inside, they realized it would be no simple matter for them to reach the contact point, either. The building had been abandoned, but here and there security mechs were still in place. They'd barely gotten through the first few chambers when they were greeted by machine gun fire.

"Rubedo!" Albedo cried, pulling his twin down with him. They hunkered down behind a crackling computer workstation as the Standards all took strategic positions. Nigredo peeked up over the console at their opponent. A green and orange spider-like mech sat low-slung to the ground in front of the door they needed to get through. The Standards began firing at it, but most of their bullets ricocheted off.

"We need to think carefully about this," Nigredo whispered. "If bullets don't seem to be working, we have to beat it some other way. Rubedo?" Rubedo nodded, his eyes glinting red.

"What about me?" Albedo whimpered. "Who's gonna protect Rubedo?" He fidgeted as Nigredo leveled his gaze at him. "Great. I get to play human flak jacket." With no med kits, this would be a difficult mission, and all of them had to stay alive to link. It was the expedient solution.

"Standard U.R.T.V.'s, cease fire!" Rubedo yelled, and the other boys obeyed. With a burst of adrenaline, he and Albedo rushed from their hiding place and toward the mech. It swiveled toward them, aiming its machine gun. TCHICK! TCHICK! TCHICK!

"Aagh!" Albedo cried, taking two bullets to the arm and one to the chest. Rubedo ducked out from behind him, placing a hand on the machine before it had the chance to fire again. He focused his wavelength, and in a flash of red the mech was blown backward with incredible force, opening the door for them in a violently manual way.

"Albedo!" Rubedo turned back to his brother, who was just getting to his feet. Blood stained the front of his uniform, but his breathing and posture quickly returned to normal.

"I hate doing that!" he yelled, and Rubedo looked away.

"You won't have to do it again," Nigredo said soberly. "That's the transport to the contact point. They gazed through the settling dust, and sure enough, the streamlined craft lay in wait for them on the eerily glowing tracks. They lead the way through the door-hole and the Standards followed closely.

As they exited the tram, the portal to the contact point rose up before them like hell's gate. The variants paused, feeling at once the silky, insidious waves reaching out to them and brushing against their consciousnesses.

"Keep your guard up," Rubedo warned his comrades. "Remember what we're dealing with in there. This is the real thing." Albedo's grip on his arm tightened. They passed through the door, looking around furtively as the room opened up into a chamber lined with metal grating, overlooking a deep shaft.

"Everybody spread out," he ordered. Take your positions. Nine Standard U.R.T.V.'s circled around the hole in even intervals, setting down their rifles. Nigredo took his place at Rubedo's left. Albedo moved to his right, but didn't let go of his hand.

"This is it," he mumbled, eyes wide.

"Let's make dad proud," said Nigredo, his best attempt at encouragement.

Rubedo pushed down the dread he felt in his gut, forcing himself to sound confident, in control. "Alright, open spiritual link." They each raised their hands anxiously, feeling U-DO's waves approaching. "All U.R.T.V.'s match your individual waves to mine." Albedo whimpered, so Rubedo grabbed his twin's other wrist and held it up to match the others'. He focused, leveling out his wavelength perfectly. His heart skipped a beat, though, when he began to see visually the fear rising out of that dark pit. It materialized like a red-violet cloud, tendrils rising up toward them. "Here it comes." The glowing tendrils soared upwards, crashing back down against the shining barrier the U.R.T.V.'s had created, and dissipated. The link was working, but for Albedo, this was all too horribly familiar.

"I'm scared, Rubedo," he whimpered, squeezing Rubedo's wrist painfully. Rubedo gulped.

"Concentrate, Albedo. Just do it like in training and you'll be fine." But truthfully, his own resolve was wavering…

Then, it clicked. He knew why they hadn't been given orders to return. In his mind's eye, images were flashing so rapidly Rubedo barely had time to interpret it. He saw them, saw U-DO, in the very chamber they stood in now. It was a vision of the future. U-DO spiraled out of control, breaking the spiritual link as both it and the U.R.T.V.'s disappeared in blinding light. From space, he watched as Labyrinthos, Miltia city, and finally the entire planet erupted in flames. The destruction of Miltia. They were going to die. For a fleeting moment, he thought he caught the scent of peach and cherry blossoms. Sakura. He hadn't yet kept his promise. He let his hand slowly fall from the spiritual link. "What the…"

"Rubedo?" Nigredo called concernedly from his post. Rubedo began to back away, his eyes wide in shock.

"Emergency cutoff!" Rubedo ordered frantically. "Shutting off the spiritual link!" Nigredo and the Standards gasped, but Rubedo had his mind made up. Fear and anger twisted his stomach into knots. "I know what I'm doing!" he yelled at seeing Nigredo's doubt. He summoned every scrap of physics knowledge about particle-waves he had and continued. "Even though we think of them as mental waves, the resulting anti-particle collision with us will be converted directly into thermal energy." Rage welled up within him. "Dad knew everything. That bastard!"

"The link is already complete," Nigredo cried, though anxiety pierced his voice. "We can't stop it!" Albedo refused to release Rubedo's wrist, keeping his right hand to the link and trying to tug Rubedo back.

"No! Rubedo, don't let go!" Albedo's panic turned his legs to jelly, and Rubedo began to slip from his twin's grip. Albedo held on to his hand with every scrap of strength he possessed, but it was not enough.

"No! I'm cutting the link!" Rubedo cried, tugging desperately to get away.

"Don't let go!" Albedo wailed. It was too late. Rubedo's fingers slipped from his grasp.

The link was broken.

Slowly, the Standards lowered their arms, faces mirroring the shock they all felt. It was all over, and by Rubedo's hand. The link master had betrayed them. In the utter silence, those dread tendrils rose up once more, shooting up toward them.

"Aaah!" The Standard directly across from them screamed as the violet light slammed into his body. He fell to the metal grate, bowled over, and began to twitch unnaturally and glow with U-DO's sickly light. "Augh!" Another unit fell. And another. One by one, until every one of the Standards had been contaminated, writhing on the floor. Rubedo stood a few feet behind Albedo, in his twin's flickering shadow, as U-DO rose up from the pit in a huge mass.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!" Albedo's tortured scream snapped Rubedo out of his trance. His twin, his brother, his other half, was going to die. And it was because of him. In the time since Sakura's death they'd been more distant, and now he could never take it back. He watched in shock as Albedo was enveloped in the seething mass. Then his stomach dropped when the tendrils began reaching out. They were reaching for him. Rubedo did the only thing he could think of to do. He closed his eyes, sobbing, and ran.

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"Rubedo? Albedo?" Nigredo called, disoriented. The dim, fuzzy world came back into focus. Why was he here? He examined his surroundings. His memories rushed back to him in a flood. His stomach knotting with fear, he got stiffly to his feet. He was alone. "Rubedo!" he called again. No one answered. Rubedo had run. The Standards were nowhere to be found, and their rifles had also disappeared. He still felt U-DO's presence, but it was lurking in the pit once more, as if sleeping. He was lucky to be alive.

It was drizzling as he made his way out of the building. The sounds of gunfire and explosions had drawn closer. If he wanted to find Rubedo, Nigredo had no choice but to head for it. After a while of walking, a pile of wreckage on his right came tumbling down and a haggard, bleeding young man came tearing out from behind it.

"Get out of here, kid!" the man yelled, pausing in front of the startled Nigredo. "There's some sick shit going on!" He scrambled away, cursing, leaving Nigredo alone once more. He sighed and continued.

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No. He had done it to save them, and now his brother was lost, probably dead. Rubedo ran and ran, and ran until his ankle gave out. "Aagh!" He landed hard on his stomach, bruising his shoulder as he made impact with the hard asphalt. He cried out, curling into a ball and flexing his ankle to assess the damage. The pain was sharp, but he could move it. Sprained. Still, he'd be doing no more running. A crack of lightning above him, and Rubedo curled up tighter. The skies opened up, pouring down their misery upon him. The haunting strains of some strange melody floated through the air.

'_As long as you protect them, I'll be happy no matter what.' _Sakura's voice rang in his head like a chime, clearing his thoughts. Rubedo blinked, the sound of the rain and the cool feel of it on his skin reviving him. Though the pain was terrible, Rubedo got to his feet. He had betrayed his comrades, his brothers. He would not betray Sakura.

He made his way forward, limping and using the walls and rubble for support. If nothing else, he could find a U.M.N. terminal and call for help. If only he knew where he was. He peered through the rain, looking for any landmarks he could use to determine his position. What he saw instead made him reel with shock. A small, crumpled black and white form lay on the ground several hundred yards from where he stood.

"Gaignuuuun!" he cried, grief overtaking him. It was a sucker punch to the stomach. A kick when he was already down. He struggled and forced himself to sprint toward the corpse of the cat, ignoring the pain shooting down his left leg. "Gaignun…" He collapsed to his knees and took the tiny body into his arms, stroking the wet fur. His tears fell silently. For a brief moment, Rubedo was relieved. Maybe it was merciful that Nigredo was dead and would never know the cat had been killed. But—wait, he'd left his brother to die, right? Had he really? Rubedo quickly put two and two together. Nigredo wasn't affected by U-DO. Which meant he was probably still alive. He rose painfully from the ground, kissing Gaignun's wet fur softly and laying the cat to rest on a large concrete block. It broke his heart to leave the cat behind, but there was a chance he could save one of his brothers, at least. Gritting his teeth in determination, he grabbed a twisted metal pipe, and using it for support, made his way back to the looming silhouette of Labyrinthos.

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"Rubedo!" Nigredo called out, his voice becoming hoarse. He was almost to the source of the gunfire, and to that bizarre music that chilled him. He checked his rifle, and seeing that it was ready, he scrambled over a mountain of debris. What he saw sickened him.

"Aaargh!" A young woman with a child cradled in her arms fell to the ground, the child wailing in her blood-covered arms until another shot silenced it. A little girl screamed and ran out from her cover into the center of the clearing and was mowed down. The sounds of cackling laughter rose up from the carnage and Nigredo had to close his eyes to keep from retching. The Standards moved as if controlled by puppet strings, jerkily firing their weapons at everything that moved. The ground was bathed in blood, pooling from the dozens of bodies strewn about them. Nigredo positioned himself carefully behind a twisted metal door, taking aim at the nearest Standard and trying not to look at anything else. He squeezed the trigger. CHKCHKCHK! The U.R.T.V. staggered back, landing on the asphalt. Blood began to pool around him. Nigredo shut his eyes, trying to block a fresh wave of nausea. Contaminated or not, he was betraying their father and killing his own comrades. But by his shots, he had also betrayed his position. CHKCHKCHKCHKCHK! Rifle fire answered him from several directions. He couldn't give up though, if Rubedo was still out there somewhere. Steeling himself, he leapt from his hiding place, taking the deranged Standards by surprise. He landed hard on the roof of a car, the metal screeching and giving under him. Off balance for only a second, he swept the rifle around and with deadly accuracy, took down four U.R.T.V.'s. Four were left.

"Rubedo! Where are you?! Rubedo!" Nigredo hopped down from the wreck, strafing as he ran. He rolled behind a pile of rubble, and listened. A dull thud told him he'd managed to take out another Standard. Three against one, the odds were still not in his favor. It was all or nothing. He needed Rubedo. He let out a whooping battle cry despite himself, and tore out into the battle. CHKCHKCHK! A shot hit him in the thigh, and although he registered the pain, he forced himself to run further. He grabbed the discarded rifle of another comrade, and turned to face them. He tucked both rifles under his arms and with a silent apology, pulled the triggers. The last three Standard U.R.T.V.'s fell backward in a spray of blood, and the recoil knocked Nigredo to his back. Rain poured from the gray sky in sheets, and he looked up. Perhaps he was hoping to find an answer, but the sky had no comfort for him. He wept.

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"Rubedo…" The name was a whisper on Nigredo's lips. He had searched as long as he could, but his body was giving out. He was woozy from blood loss, his rifle serving as a makeshift crutch. He had no choice but to return to Labyrinthos. Maybe Rubedo would come back for him… He made his way toward the building with ragged breaths, ignoring the rain pounding against his back. He was within the giant tower's shadow, when he heard a voice crying out from the heights. He leaned back and gazed upward. The lightning silhouetted a man—a man that to him was all too familiar.

"Hallelujah! And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them, and they were judged every man according to their works!" The man gestured powerfully, the wind and rain and thunder only amplifying his perceivable authority. "And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire! Rejoice, all ye! The time for feasting has come!" An explosion vibrated through Nigredo's feet and suddenly the man was falling, falling endlessly toward him. He limped inside the building as quickly as he could, but though he closed his eyes he could not drown out the sound of the man's body hitting the ground.

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Rubedo had nearly made it back to Labyrinthos when he paused dead in his tracks. A voice he knew very well boomed down, echoing impossibly off the debris around him. He listened closely to the words the madman shouted, and something in the back of his mind told him they sounded familiar. More important to him was the identity of the man standing atop the eerily silhouetted tower.

"Joachim… Mizrahi?" Why was Sakura's father still here, and what was he doing? He hadn't seen the man since Sakura's death. What had he been doing here on Miltia anyway? A small explosion rocked the tower, and suddenly Rubedo had no time to think. Joachim Mizrahi plummeted to the ground, and Rubedo watched in horror as he made impact from several hundred feet in the air. Rubedo recoiled, retching. But once he'd recovered he knew he had no choice but to continue. He skirted the man's remains, strangely glad to be inside Labyrinthos.

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Nigredo peered over the ledge at the metal grate surrounding the pit below him. It seemed he was alone. Then a touch all-too-familiar but at the same time terrifying touched his mind almost gently. It couldn't be. "Albedo?" Suddenly a burst of violet energy shot out at him, and for a sickening moment, there was nothing beneath him but air. He hit the grate below with a thud, his vision going white and the breath leaving him. He was still conscious though, and he tried to move, but he felt paralyzed. Finally he struggled and managed to sit up, and he heard two faint taps as the other boy's boots touched the ground.

"Nigredo." Something in Albedo's voice was wrong. His eyes glinted violet. He was contaminated, touched by U-DO, but not possessed. A faint purple aura surrounded him and Nigredo gasped, struggling for air and trying to comprehend. He looked around for his rifle, but it had landed well out of his reach. Albedo grinned, raising his arm toward his prone brother. Nigredo steeled himself, but it didn't help much. Albedo swung his arm sharply to the right, and Nigredo was wrenched to his feet by sheer psychokinetic force, slamming hard into the wall. He crumpled to the floor, feeling his ribs crack. He screamed as the pain coursed through his body like fire. Albedo laughed.

"Albedo, please!" Nigredo choked out, rolling onto his back. "Come to your senses!" The grin splitting Albedo's face broadened, and he knelt to the ground, picking up Nigredo's fallen weapon.

"I am to my senses," he cackled icily, pointing the rifle at Nigredo. Nigredo closed his eyes, his breathing slowing almost to a standstill. So this was the end. He only wished he'd been able to find Rubedo. Oh, well. Maybe he was still out there, somewhere safe. Nigredo hoped so. He heard the safety being removed from the rife. Goodbye, world.

CHKCHKCHKCHKCHKCHKCHKCHK! The shots echoed through the room like thunder. Nigredo sighed in relief. Now he could die.

"NIGREDO!" He heard his name and his eyes snapped open. Rubedo? He looked at his chest and saw no blood. He hadn't been shot. Who had? He turned his head slowly to see Albedo staggering at the lip of the pit. By the purple glow surrounding him he could tell that Albedo's body had already healed, but the bullets Rubedo had unloaded into his chest had had another effect. Albedo's foot slipped, and he teetered on the edge of that black hole, trying desperately to regain his balance.

"I'll get you, traitor!" Albedo screamed, unnatural fury surrounding him, lancing toward has twin in an arc of violet power. Rubedo screamed, frozen. He was going to die. Nigredo could not let that happen. He recalled his conversation with Citrine about his true purpose. A failsafe against the power of Red Dragon. Though he had been created to destroy Rubedo, here, he was equally effective. Summoning his strength, his own frightening black power engulfed Albedo like an void, neutralizing him. "What?!"

"Rubedo, now!" Nigredo called, collapsing weakly back to the floor. Rubedo unfroze, firing one last shot into his twin's chest. It was enough. Arms flailing futilely, Albedo dropped from their view into the never-ending darkness. For a moment there was silence, then the sickening thud of his body hitting the ground several floors below.

Rubedo fell to his knees, heaving. He could not feel his second heartbeat. He knew the fall wouldn't have killed Albedo, but he prayed that it might have knocked him out. He was preparing to do the only thing he could do—leave his twin behind. It was the very thing Albedo had been afraid of. So ironic that Albedo had been right. He hadn't been there for his brother. But he could still be there for Nigredo. He ignored the urge to retch, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and crawling over to Nigredo's still form. "Nigredo?"

"You… came back," Nigredo choked. His breathing was labored. Blood was soaked through the leg of his uniform and was beginning to pool around him. He was so pale… Rubedo gathered his wits.

"Of course I came back," he managed. "I couldn't leave you behind twice. Damage?" he questioned, attempting to restore a bit of control to the situation.

"One bullet… to the left thigh, several ribs… cracked or broken," Nigredo replied officiously. Then he dropped all pretenses and gasped, "Rubedo, I'm gonna die. Just leave me. I know you'll… find a way to… survive." Tears brimmed at the corners of his unfocused eyes. Rubedo pounded a fist against the metal grate.

"No!" he sobbed, and despite Nigredo's weak protests, he scooped the other boy into his arms. "You're all I have left, Nigredo. I won't lose you! I can't… leave you behind…" He hauled himself to his feet, gritting his teeth against the pain. "Nigredo?" The black-haired boy was unresponsive. Rubedo took a faltering step forward, then another. He made his way excruciatingly toward the center of the room. The rain poured through a hole in the roof of the ruined building. Everything was dripping. The rain, mixed with tears dripped off his body, off his nose, off his hair. Blood dripped rhythmically from the tip of Nigredo's boot. Too much dripping. Too much blood. He staggered forward toward the edge of the balcony.

"Somebody! Anybody! Please help us!" He was surprised by how small and plaintive his voice was. His strength finally gave out and he collapsed to his knees. No one was there to see them so he might as well cry. "It won't stop," he said, staring at the steady red drip-drip pooling on the floor beneath Nigredo. "Nigredo won't stop bleeding!" He'd failed to save Sakura, He'd failed to save Albedo and now he'd failed to save Nigredo. He doubled over, pulling his brother closer and laying his forehead on his chest. However, Nigredo's voice, weak and faint, snapped him back into focus.

"It's alright, Rubedo. Let it… go," the black-haired boy whispered haltingly. He unsuccessfully tried to reach up to Rubedo, but his hand fell back limply to his side. He couldn't have Rubedo blaming himself over his death, though. Rubedo had to go on.

Rubedo felt the fight leaving him at Nigredo's words. But no. He still had a promise to keep, and he didn't know if he'd be able to make it alone. "Don't say that!" he sobbed. "You can't give up!" But Rubedo was ready to give up himself. His freezing, rain-soaked body went numb, disappearing into nothingness. He couldn't feel the rain anymore, or Nigredo's warm skin. All he saw was—blinding white light?

"Two U.R.T.V. units, identified and confirmed," a voice crackled over a loudspeaker. Rubedo blinked, peering up through the dazzling spotlight. Could it be..? He could barely comprehend. He would live another day, to keep his promise. He shook Nigredo gently.

"Nigredo, someone's here," he cried, voice cracking. The other boy didn't stir. "Nigredo…" He watched apprehensively through his tears as the bright beam revealed an enourmous, dangerous-looking mech. Here was either their end, or their salvation. The dust swirled up as the cockpit opened and two strange young men climbed out. Rubedo peered up at them. The older, taller one had orange hair and the trademark yellow eyes of a realian. The younger one was silver-haired and dark-skinned. For a moment, Rubedo thought he noticed something strange in the silver-haired boy's wavelength, but it was soon forgotten. Exhausted, he relinquished his hold on his remaining brother. In a last moment of desperation, he reached out with the link to Albedo, hoping against hope he'd find him—but nothing. He didn't resist as the realian hefted Nigredo into his arms and the silver-haired boy pulled him onto his back. Though he was comforted by the boy's steady heartbeat against his chest, it only served to remind him of what he'd done.

"It's… it's all my fault," he whispered to no one in particular. He buried his face into the dark-skinned boy's soft silver hair. "I'm the leader… but then I cut the link. And now Albedo's…" He choked back a sob, unable to continue.

"Albedo?" The orange-haired realian wondered aloud.

"He's a piece of me. The beating in my right chest…" Rubedo thought he felt his rescuer give his hand a comforting squeeze at his words, but he couldn't tell. Though he was bred for battle, even his body could only take so much. Exhaustion came over him suddenly, and he just couldn't seem to keep his eyes open…

'_Sakura," _he thought, as his mind faded into blessed oblivion.


	4. The Way to the Future

**Disclaimer: **If I owned 'Saga, it'd have much more sex, if I owned 'Saga it'd be rated X. If I owned 'Saga, life would be a blast, but I don't own 'Saga, so don't sue my ass!

**A/N: **Fourth in a series of vignettes from Jr.'s life and his relationships. This one focuses a little more on Nigredo, since he was kind of missing in the first two parts (plus, he's one of my favorites). Also, sorry the chapters are so long, but I have a lot to cover and not so many song lines. ; Please R&R if you like it. Suggestions and critiques are absolutely welcome!

**The Way to the Future**

Everything was white. Rubedo's eyes cracked open and he was blinded by it. His mind groggily restarted, and then promptly went into overdrive. So many questions. Where was he? What had happened? The boy tried to bring a hand to his face to cover his eyes, but his body didn't respond. Tired eyes fluttered all the way open in panic, slowly adjusting to the nearly unbearable fluorescent light. He was in a bed, in a cramped, sterile-looking room. He'd been stripped of his uniform and instead wore a thin hospital gown. At least he'd been rescued by someone kind enough to take care of him. Him and—"Nigredo!" He struggled to get out of bed and to his feet, but only succeeded in collapsing onto the floor. His legs wouldn't support his weight.

"You got yourself beat up pretty badly," a deep voice chuckled from across the room. Rubedo snapped to attention. The large, bald man had a kind smile on his face, but what Rubedo noticed were the numerous stripes and badges on his uniform. That, and the fact that he'd seen this man before.

"Lieutenant General Helmer?" he asked incredulously. Helmer let out a small chuckle, walking over to Rubedo and planting a hand firmly on his shoulder. Rubedo flinched, but instead of hurting him the man pulled him carefully to his feet.

"Just General Helmer nowadays," Helmer smiled, leaving his hand on Rubedo's shoulder to steady him. Rubedo felt himself relax. He had no choice but to trust Helmer, and the soldier seemed like a nice enough person anyway. He gave the towering bear of a man a small salute.

"U.R.T.V. unit number six-six-six." Helmer seemed surprised at Rubedo's introduction.

"Don't you have another name? Rubedo nodded, secretly feeling relief at Helmer's consideration.

"Rubedo," he said more quietly. His legs started to give again, so he leaned back onto the bed for support.

"Well, Rubedo, you look like you've had a really rough time." Helmer sat beside him on the bed, forming a large depression in the mattress. Rubedo said nothing. Helmer was absolutely right. A 'rough time' was an understatement.

"What… what happened, sir?" he ventured, willing himself to stay calm. "The mission… We failed, didn't we? But father… He didn't tell us that—"

"Don't worry about that right now. You did the best you could," Helmer gently reassured him. "And besides, right now I think there's someone else who'd like to see you."

"Nigredo?!" Rubedo realized how excited he was a moment too late to restrain it, but Helmer didn't mind. He let out a great, booming laugh. Rubedo looked away guiltily. "Sir… is he okay?" Helmer smiled, patting the small boy's back.

"He will be, Rubedo. He'll be just fine." Rubedo sighed, relief shaking off the worst of his fears. "Why don't you come see him?" Helmer asked benevolently. Rubedo nodded. The large man got to his feet, giving Rubedo support as he stood unsteadily. "The nanotreatment's healed your injuries, but you'll still be weak for a while. It's the same for your brother," Helmer explained. He helped the boy over to the next room.

"Nigredo!" Rubedo cried once he'd laid eyes on the other boy, abandoning Helmer and rushing to his bedside. The black-haired youth looked a bit worse for the wear, still bandaged in a few places and apparently asleep. His eyes fluttered open when he'd heard his name, though.

"Rubedo," he whispered, and although his voice was weak, he sounded much stronger than he had before their rescue. He gave Rubedo a small smile, so unusual for him. There was a long silence between them, but not an uncomfortable one. "Stay with me?" the black-haired boy asked after a while. Rubedo nodded. Helmer signaled at the orderly in the corner and they exited the room. Rubedo climbed atop the bed, sapping most of the strength he had left.

"Phew," he sighed. "I guess if I'm this weak, it must be worse for you." Rubedo tried to sound cheerful, but it was a feeble disguise, especially because his eyes were visibly watering.

"Stop, Rubedo," Nigredo whispered, taking Rubedo by surprise. "Stop blaming yourself." He laid one shaky, IV-taped hand atop his brother's. "I'll be okay. And… you did what you thought was right by breaking the link. Doing what you think is right is the best thing you could possibly have done. If you hadn't, then _none_ of us would have survived." Rubedo looked away and Nigredo sighed. "Look. I know you're going to want to blame yourself for everything until the guilt eats you away. But Rubedo… don't forget your promise."

It was low, Rubedo thought. Nigredo read him like a book. Of course, no matter what anyone told him, he would continue to blame himself. But that's what he wanted. He deserved it anyway. He wanted to wallow in his guilt. And in an instant, Nigredo had manipulated him out of it. "Nigredo…" he whispered, but he couldn't be mad. His darker brother was usually right about these kinds of things anyway. Right now, grief was enough for him to bear. Guilt could come later, once he'd kept his promise to Sakura. He sighed, laying his crimson head back and snuggling as close to his brother as he could.

"We're getting a little old for this, you know," Nigredo yawned. Rubedo flicked his brother affectionately, knowing he didn't have the strength to stop him.

"Shut up," he smiled. No other words passed between them, and they fell asleep that way, each secretly glad for the other's presence.

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"Stay close now, boys. Second Miltia City is a big place," Helmer boomed, glancing at the two young men at his side. His words were all but lost on them. The brothers couldn't pick any one thing to look at, so their heads swiveled comically, taking in the incredible overload of sensory input around them. Second Miltia City was a city under construction. It had barely been anything worth noting until the Miltian Crisis, as it had come to be called in the last few months. These days, nanomachines worked day and night, and the city had rapidly, almost miraculously expanded to support the Miltian refugees.

"Wow, Nigredo, look!" Rubedo marveled, pointing at the enormous U.M.N. building, still being erected but already looming in the distance. Even Nigredo couldn't contain his awe.

"This place is huge! It's so… alive," he added, as if it were a casual afterthought, but Rubedo caught the underlying appreciation in his tone.

"Yeah…" he agreed. Helmer's hands, clapped down on their shoulders, brought them back down to earth—or to Second Miltia, as it were.

"Come on boys," he chuckled. "I want to take you out for some lunch—some real food, not that bland, institutional crap—and then, you have a friend that's been wanting to see you." The brothers blinked at the sly, intentionally vague statement.

"A friend?" Nigredo asked skeptically, but Helmer put a finger to his lips.

"Lunch first," he grinned. The boys trailed behind the huge man, out of his fatigues and in normal street clothes, until they came to what had to be a restaurant, nestled between all the quickly growing high-rises. "Here we are. Moby Dick's Café." The boys blinked up in awe at the wood façade.

'_Think that's real wood, Rubes?' _Nigredo whispered through the link.

'_How should I know?' _Rubedo responded hotly. '_And by the way, I need a better nickname.' _Nigredo laughed out loud at Rubedo's grumbling, and Helmer quirked an eyebrow.

"Let's go inside instead of staring all day, shall we?" he asked, though not unkindly. The brothers nodded embarrassedly, allowing Helmer to push open the antique swinging doors to let them inside.

"Wow!" both boys exclaimed in unison. The façade wasn't the only wooden part of the building. The entire interior was bedecked in wooden wainscoting, heavy wooden beams supported the ceiling, the tables and even the bar and barstools were all solid wood. It had surely cost a fortune to import it all and hire human construction workers to put it all together.

"Hey there, Stubb," Helmer boomed jovially, seeing that the boys were too preoccupied to introduce themselves. The bartender and owner of the establishment, Ricky Stubb, leaned across the counter to grasp and shake the other man's hand energetically.

"Hey, yourself, Helmer," he grinned. His eyes fell on the two youngsters looking around animatedly at all the décor. "What have we here?" he asked, scratching his goatee amusedly. Helmer chuckled.

"There are the two young men I was telling you about. Boys?" The brothers reluctantly tore their gazes from all the marvels surrounding them to introduce themselves.

"Rubedo Yuriev, sir," Rubedo nodded, stepping aside for his brother.

"Nigredo Yuriev. Pleasure to meet you," said Nigredo, and Rubedo was surprised at how diplomatic and businesslike his younger brother sounded.

'_You should be a politician_,' he smirked through the link.

"Ricky Stubb, pleasure's all mine," Stubb said, shaking their hands in turn. He led them over to a booth, seating them and handing them menus. "Now what can I get you gentlemen today?" he asked them genially. Both boys blinked at the long list of meal choices before them.

"Um," Rubedo mumbled shyly, "We've never had anything like this before." Stubb grinned, patting him on the back.

"Then, may I recommend the grilled cheese sandwich, or perhaps my star cluster-famous curry?"

"The curry sounds good," Rubedo ventured, and Nigredo nodded in agreement.

"Good choice! Coming right up," said Stubb, wandering back behind the counter and shouting the order along to the cook. Helmer left the boys to their conversation and followed Stubb, taking a seat at the bar.

"The usual," he drawled, and Stubb nodded, thunking a shot glass down on the worn countertop and filling it with amber whiskey.

"So what's on your mind, Helmer?" Stubb grunted, his candid stare catching Helmer off guard. The dark man tilted his head back and downed the shot before answering.

"You know those two are Salvator, right?"

"I gathered," Stubb nodded. "Saw their serial numbers."

"Dmitri Yuriev created those boys for the sole purpose of eradicating U-DO. They were _there_." There was no need for Helmer to elaborate.

"My god, those little boys?" Stubb asked incredulously, eyes wide. "They can't be more than twelve."

"Twelve, going on thirteen," Helmer said soberly. "They grew up thinking this was their mission, but Yuriev didn't give a damn about them, even though they're his own biological children. He didn't tell them that to fulfill that mission they had to die." He slammed the shot glass back down on the bar roughly, causing Stubb to wince.

"They look okay now," he offered.

"Yeah, they've got to be the most resilient little fellas I've ever met. They're doing so well." His voice lowered to a deep whisper. "I've hid them from Yuriev as long as I can, but I heard he's looking for them. Officially they died, but somehow he knows better. He's caught on to our lie." Stubb nodded slowly.

"You know, I once heard that the best way to hide something was to leave it out in the open," he remarked, a shrewd glint in his eye. Helmer's own eyes widened in realization.

"You mean..?"

"Yep," he nodded. "What you got yourself now is a temporary solution. You just keep doing what you're doing and hold that old bastard off for a little while longer. Eventually he'll lose the trail, and when he does, you set those two up so that they can't be touched. Even the Salvator Faction's got its limits."

"What would I do without you, Ricky?" Helmer grinned, patting his friend on the back over the counter. "My eyes and my brain in the civilian sphere."

"Always a pleasure, General," Stubb said, saluting. Helmer put a few coins on the table and motioned for the boys to join him.

"It was a great meal, sir," said Nigredo with a little bow.

"Yeah, the best!" Rubedo grinned. Stubb chuckled.

"And polite, too! You come back someday, boys!"

"I will," called Rubedo over his shoulder as the three of them left the quiet of the restaurant for the glaring hubbub of the city. They boarded a high-speed train to another sector and disembarked in the middle of a construction zone, where it appeared as if there had been a cargo explosion. Everywhere there were men lifting and hauling heavy crates, their backs straining with the effort.

"Woah," said Nigredo in reverence. "This is a lot of stuff. Are… are we gonna have to help?" He looked around nervously. Helmer gave a great belly laugh, wiping his brow with his sleeve.

"Heavens no, child, we're just here to meet that friend we talked about." At his words, both boys looked around, at a loss for of whom Helmer might be speaking. "chaos!" he called, answering their question for them. A slender young man in a full body suit and heavy gloves jumped down catlike from the high crate on which he'd been standing. Though Nigredo showed little recognition, Rubedo knew the dark-skinned, silver-haired boy at once.

"You're—"

"chaos," the young man finished, extending a gloved hand to Rubedo, who took it and shook it eagerly.

"You're… the one that saved us?" Nigredo squinted, uncertain.

"I guess you could say that," chaos said shyly, shaking Nigredo's hand as well. "Though I'm surprised you remember. You look a lot better then you did then." He gave the dark-haired boy an apologetic smile.

"You saved our life," Nigredo said in quiet appreciation. "The least I could do is remember you." Chaos winked.

"Well, thanks anyway. Canaan wanted to be here too, but he's always got some kind of important job to do." The dark-skinned boy nodded knowingly at Helmer. "And of course he wouldn't have admitted to being happy to see you. He's a little too serious sometimes."

"Well, tell him thanks for us too, sir," Rubedo glanced up at Helmer. Helmer nodded.

"It was a pleasure to have met you under better circumstances than the last time," chaos smiled, a little sadly. The boys shook his hand again and bid him farewell, meandering back toward the train to wait. Chaos moved beside Helmer to where he was out of earshot, whispering, "I'll keep an eye on them." Helmer nodded appreciatively, patting the young man on the back.

"I owe you more than I could ever repay." Chaos waved his hand dismissively, then with a smile, hopped back onto the crate.

"Until next time, General."

----------------------------------------------------------

Rubedo lay on his back once again in the cot that was quickly becoming familiar, staring at the ceiling that he had already come to memorize. Nigredo lay on the adjacent cot in a similar state of contemplation. Rubedo ran the day's events through his mind, analyzing them again and again. It had been his first day out of the military compound since they'd left the hospital, and that had been nearly three months ago. Helmer was a kind, generous man, making sure they'd been taken care of, but now that he'd had this first taste of freedom, Rubedo wanted more. Specifically, he could not get the image of the endless starscape out of his mind that he'd seen on his way to Miltia. He wanted to be out among those stars again. But Nigredo's train of thought wasn't nearly that simple. Rubedo realized this as his feelings of frustration and confusion trickled down through the mental link.

'_What's eating you, Ni?' _he prodded gently through the link. His brother let out an audible sigh.

'_It's nothing_,' he said guardedly, turning over so he had his back to Rubedo. Rubedo scoffed.

'_Like I'm gonna believe that._' He snorted, but then Nigredo turned to pin him with his piercing green gaze, and Rubedo wasn't about to push him further and incur his wrath.

Rubedo returned to staring at the ceiling, and after a moment's pause, like clockwork, '_Well, you see…_' Nigredo began, and Rubedo smirked. '_I kind of… listened in on Helmer's conversation today._' Rubedo flipped over to face him, eyes wide.

'_You didn't!_'

'_I did,_' he smiled ruefully. '_At first, I kind of just let my mind wander, but then when I picked up what they were talking about, I couldn't help myself._' Rubedo blinked at him.

'_So? Spill the beans,_' he urged. Of course, just like his brother, he had an insatiable curiosity—or perhaps even more so. But Nigredo's expression turned his inquisitiveness into regret. '_Ni…_'

'_It's about Dad,_' he said shortly, looking down. '_He's… looking for us._' Rubedo's fine brows furrowed.

'_What do you mean, he's looking for us? He sent us to Miltia to die!_' Nigredo cringed at the ferocity of his tone. Nigredo continued to look away. '_What's that look for, Nigredo? You don't believe me?_' Rubedo's eyes blazed with hurt.

'_Are you sure?_' Nigredo said quietly. '_He's our father. He created us. If he's looking for us, it must mean we still have some purpose. Th-that we can still be useful to him._' He could feel Rubedo's anger and upset hurled down the link at him, and he put up a wall between them for the first time in a long time.

"Nigredo, I saved your life from _him_!" Rubedo cried in normal speech, even yet unwilling to utter his twin's name. "You saw what happened! Everything Dad told us about U-DO was a lie!" By this time, tears were beginning to form in Rubedo's eyes. He couldn't believe this. He had never thought his little brother would betray him like this, after all they'd been through. But Nigredo pulled on his boots, hopping out of bed and flinging open the door. "Nigredo, wait!" Rubedo called after him, but Nigredo disappeared in the darkness, slamming the door behind him.

----------------------------------------------------------

'_You see nothing,_' Nigredo whispered silkily, a glint in his eye. Miraculously, a heavily armed guard stared straight at the boy as if nothing was there, and then continued on his rounds. Nigredo clambered up the outer wall of the compound, skirting the barbed wire as much as he could. Years of sneaking around the Yuriev institute made him a master at sneakery, though it was to Rubedo's credit, he thought, that he didn't hear alarms sounding. He didn't know whether his brother's silence was out of understanding or the hopes that he'd be taught a lesson, but that question didn't concern Nigredo at the moment. The entire city loomed up before him, aglow like a jewel in the night. He stood for a long moment, taking the scene in, finally dropping his gaze to scramble down into the night.

"One-two-three-three-seven-four-eight-two," Nigredo typed from memory into the glowing console before him. The military compound lay on the outskirts of the city, so it had taken some time for him to reach a U.M.N. terminal. The operator AI patched him through, but at first all he saw was static. "Dad?"

The screen flickered, but there was no picture feed, and no sound but the crackling white noise. Nigredo sighed. He'd gotten his hopes up that this would work, but he shouldn't have expected anything. He was about to leave, when suddenly the screen flickered again.

"Ni—edo?" The voice was distorted and distant sounding, but there was no mistaking it. It was Dr. Yuriev. A red light began blinking in the corner of the screen, but Nigredo ignored it.

"Well done escaping that ignorant fool, Helmer," Yuriev chuckled, his voice like gravel. Nigredo looked down, though he knew his father couldn't see him.

"It's how you made us," he said quietly. He could almost hear the smirk on his father's face.

"True. Nigredo, your new orders are to remain where you are. Do not attempt to cut off this transmission." Suddenly Nigredo knew what the blinking red light was. A trace. "My operative will be arriving at your location shortly." Nigredo had barely begun to regret leaving the compound unarmed when something heavy and blunt slammed into the side of his head. He thought he caught a flash of strangely familiar orange hair before his vision went black. Half unconscious, the last thing he heard was his father's cackle. "Very shortly…"

----------------------------------------------------------

Nigredo awoke, stiff and cold, slumped in a hard metal chair. His head pounded, but otherwise he was unharmed. Looking around, he saw he was in a dimly lit lab, lined with glowing consoles. He could barely make out the identities of the people in the room, but most of them seemed in some way… familiar. The door at the end of the room opened with a 'woosh', and in through it stepped two figures, one he expected to see, and another he didn't.

"Dad," he gasped, "and… Citrine?" His sister pinned him under her arrogant leer.

"Who else," she smirked, and she pantomimed ramming him in the head with the butt of her rifle. Nigredo squirmed uncomfortably.

"Indeed," Yuriev snarled. "She seems to be the only one of you lot who's actually useful for anything." Nigredo felt his cheeks burning in shame.

"It's not my fault," he choked out defensively. "It was Rubedo who cut the link!" His words only earned him a fierce glare.

"Exactly!" Yuriev strode over to the boy, leaning within an inch of his face. "Don't tell me you've forgotten your other mission, Nigredo." Nigredo flinched under the obvious threat in the man's voice.

"No," he whispered quietly, forcing himself to look at anything but his father. Of course he hadn't forgotten his other mission. How could he? How many days had he met his brother's gaze, knowing that inevitably, he would be the one to make those cobalt eyes close forever? Maybe… maybe Rubedo was right about Yuriev. He was their father, their creator. But how could a mission like that come from someone who cares about you? Yuriev smiled at Nigredo's obvious distress.

"The Red Dragon failed in his mission. He must be stopped." There was nothing questionable or humorous in Yuriev's tone. "You had the chance to kill him at Labyrinthos, and you've been living with him for the past three months and not once have you taken advantage of all those opportunities to do away with him." Nigredo looked up fearfully, afraid to meet his father's eyes. "Remember your duty, executioner." His voice was nothing more than a low, animal growl.

'_Rubedo…_' Nigredo felt something cold and hard pressed into his hand. A pistol.

"I trust you can use this?" Nigredo ran his fingers across the rigid steel. His mind was in turmoil.

"I… I…" Yuriev backed away, so Nigredo climbed out of the chair, edging ever so slowly toward the door. The gun's sheen reflected his eyes back at him. They were wide and frightened. In his hands he had a scale. In the balance hung his mission, his purpose, and in the other, his brother's life. Did he really want to go through with this? He could almost feel his brother's arms supporting him, see the tears he shed for him. Rubedo had done so much for him. '_Nigredo, I saved your life_...' Rubedo's words played back in his mind. But what good was a life without a purpose? If he gave up now, could he create his own purpose?

"Nigredo, come here." Yuriev extended a hand toward him, his voice calm. The man was totally confident that Nigredo would submit. That he would obey, no matter what, like a machine. He backed further against the door, a whimper escaping unbidden from his lips. This was it.

"No," he croaked shakily, his fingers tightening around the cold steel of the pistol. "I'm abandoning my mission!" He saw Citrine's eyes widen, but Yuriev remained calm and didn't withdraw his hand, though his eyes narrowed. Nigredo gritted his teeth, leveling the pistol at his father. "I won't follow your orders anymore!"

In the split second before he pulled the trigger, he thought he saw Yuriev's eyes widen in surprise. It was a split second of satisfaction, before the bullet pierced his father's skull with deadly accuracy. A spray of blood coated everything around him. For one horrible moment there was complete silence. Citrine stared at him in horror, her pretty face splattered with garish red. Then their father's body hit the floor, the back of his head blown completely away, and the world was thrown back into motion.

"NIGREDO!" Nigredo dropped the pistol, hands fumbling behind his back for the door release. It slid open and he fell backwards as klaxons began ringing throughout the building. He stumbled to his feet as Citrine came tearing out of the door after him. She cast the rifle aside, eyes burning with hatred and despair. "You… you killed our father! How could you?!" she seethed, tears and blood streaming down her face. "I will rip you apart with my bare hands!"

"Citrine, I—" he started, blinded by his own tears, but then Citrine was coming at him, her wavelength focused like a sword. Nigredo scrambled out of the way just in time, throwing his leg out and catching her by the ankle. She flew several feet, then landed sprawled out on the floor. She slowly got to her feet, winded, but Nigredo didn't waste any time in escaping. He had no idea where he was except that he knew he must still be on Second Miltia, so he followed the exit signs down the building's endless corridors looking for an escape. He heard Citrine's footsteps behind him, echoing off the walls of the empty hallways, but as superior as she had made herself out to be in the past, Nigredo was the faster runner. He blew through the entranceway out into the night, Citrine a good ten seconds behind him. It was useless for her to try and catch up. She fell to her knees, lost, as Nigredo ran and ran and didn't look back.

----------------------------------------------------------

"There!" Rubedo cried, and the E.S. Asher jetted swiftly in the direction in which Rubedo pointed. Had it been under any other circumstances, the boy would have been exhilarated to be copiloting the craft, skimming dangerously close to the treetops in the outskirts of Second Miltia city. Tonight, the circumstances were less than favorable—and as it turned out, he did have the opportunity to meet the realian Canaan again. Canaan swung the Asher around, using the high beam spotlight to scour the terrain, but Rubedo closed his eyes, concentrating on a far more effective search method. "Set her down eighty yards left, twenty-four yards forward." Canaan complied and touched down gently. The cockpit hissed open and Rubedo didn't even wait for the zip cord to disembark, instead scrambling down the side of the mech and landing hard on the soft earth. He recovered quickly, racing to crouch beside a massive rock. He could hear soft sobs coming from beneath it, and he peered down into the large hollow formed at its base. "Ni?"

"Rubes..?" He heard his brother's small voice from the void, and he held out his hand. Slowly Nigredo's hand emerged, and the boy allowed himself to be pulled out and into his brother's arms. "You aren't… mad at me?" he asked shakily. Rubedo squeezed his hand in reassurance.

"Of course I'm mad." He smiled. "But I got my baby brother back, and that's all that matters." He'd intended the words to comfort his brother, but Nigredo shook his head.

"Rubedo, I—" he started, unable to get the words out. Rubedo looked at him concernedly.

"What is it?" Rubedo tousled his hair gently.

"I… killed…" He closed his eyes, summoning all his strength. "I killed our father." Rubedo's hand paused, and for a moment he thought Rubedo would leave him, but then he was being held tighter, and he felt Rubedo's tears, wet in his hair.

"It's okay. You did what you had to do." Nigredo nodded sullenly, knowing Rubedo would see through him. It was not okay. Maybe it would be, in time, but right then, he mused, things were about as screwed up as they could get. At least, he thought, he was no one's puppet any longer. Maybe now he could truly be free.


	5. A New Dawn

**Disclaimer: **If I owned 'Saga, it'd have much more sex, if I owned 'Saga it'd be rated X. If I owned 'Saga, life would be a blast, but I don't own 'Saga, so don't sue my ass!

**A/N: **Fifth in a series of vignettes from Jr.'s life and his relationships. This one's kinda HUUUUGE, but I like my chapters that way, plus I have a limited number of lyrics to write from. Hopefully it will be interesting enough to keep you reading. Please R&R, and I hope you like it!

**A New Dawn**

"You asshole!" Nigredo stretched his lanky limbs as his brother clambered up the ladder to his bunk.

"Oof!" he cried as Rubedo's smaller frame made impact with him—right in the gut. He pushed the boy off him, casually grabbing his arms and twisting them to restrain him. Rubedo struggled to no avail, shooting Nigredo the nastiest glare he could muster. "What is it?" Nigredo finally asked, bemused. Rubedo pouted.

"As _if_ you don't know what I'm talking about. Who else would use my toothbrush to clean the urinal?!" Nigredo quickly tried to hide his snort of laughter, but Rubedo caught him, shaking a finger.

"Wha-what would make you think I did that?" Nigredo managed, chuckling. Rubedo whipped the toothbrush out of his pocket, nearly jabbing his brother's eye out.

"Do you see this?" he growled, showing off the toothbrush's rather yellow tint. "It's all covered in piss!" Nigredo shook silently with mirth.

"How do you know it wasn't Canaan?" he asked, trying unsuccessfully to keep a poker face.

"Canaan?!" Rubedo snarled. Nigredo conceded that that idea might be a little ridiculous, since Canaan produced artificial saliva, and probably had synthetic teeth. "_You_ did this!"

"If you don't want me to use your toothbrush to clean the urinal, don't use _my_ socks for your dirty habits!" Nigredo ripped the covers back, revealing his sockless feet. Rubedo turned a bright shade of red to rival his hair.

"Well then, _you _don't use _my_ socks for yours!" He threw a punch at Nigredo's arm, but barely managed to knock him back. Nigredo grinned, snatching the toothbrush. He vaulted down off the bunk, landing catlike on the floor. Rubedo scrambled down after him. "Hey, give that back," he cried diving for the toothbrush, but Nigredo, using his recent growth spurt as an advantage, held it hopelessly above Rubedo's head.

"What do you want it for?" he teased. "It's got piss all over it, just like you said." Rubedo fumed, choosing not to try and jump for it. It would only egg Nigredo on, anyway. "Shrimp," Nigredo taunted, sticking his tongue out. At this, Rubedo fell silent. The fact that in the past three years, he hadn't aged a day was a very sensitive subject between them. Nigredo remembered this a bit too late, and his smile faded. He lowered his arm, proffering the toothbrush. "Sorry," he sighed. Rubedo took the toothbrush grudgingly, without saying a word. "Look," Nigredo said more quietly. "You know I just forget sometimes. I didn't mean it…" He gave Rubedo sincerely repentant puppy-dog eyes, and Rubedo couldn't help but smile.

"I know," he said finally. "How about… let's agree to keep our hands off each other's stuff." Nigredo considered for a while. He dragged his thoughtful act out until Rubedo cocked his head in confusion. "Does it really take that long to decide not to be an ass?" Nigredo grinned.

"Nah." He gave his smaller brother a playful punch. "Agreed." Rubedo smiled, clapping his hand to Nigredo's and initiating a pinky swear.

"I'll hold you to that."

-----------------------------------------

The A.M.W.S. hangar was a good place to contemplate life. Rubedo spent much of his time there, in E.S. Asher's cockpit, nodding off to a book instead of doing the work he was assigned. Today, his eyes just couldn't seem to focus on the words printed on the yellowed page in front of him. His mind kept wandering to the conversation that morning. The past three years had brought them changes both good and bad. Having displayed their abilities to a high degree that night their father died, the two had been allowed to assist Helmer as free agents. They still lived in the compound, but now they came, went and took assignments as they pleased. At the very least it was a fulfilling existence. The use of Asher and the new Vector prototype A.G.W.S. units was no downside, either.

The second change had come to Rubedo and Nigredo personally. Since their father's death, their wounds had slowly begun to heal. It wasn't perfect—there were still scars, but they were no longer the open, festering sores of the past. And as a result, they'd both began to open up a little more. With the exception of Albedo, things between them had returned to much the same way as they had been in the old days. They could joke and laugh again. They could live.

The third change was no change at all. Rubedo ran his hands through the hair that hadn't grown an inch in the past three years. He'd begun to realize it first when Nigredo had gotten his third haircut and it occurred to everyone that he'd never needed one. Since then, Nigredo had far surpassed him in height, but perhaps even more embarrassingly Nigredo had left Rubedo behind sexually as well. His voice, once the same as Rubedo's, had matured into something deeper, richer, more seductive. Rubedo joked that his brother's voice was 'rated X.'

Of course to all the doctors that didn't know any better, Rubedo's failure to age was baffling, but after all, he was Salvator, he thought somewhat bitterly. It had something to do with the anti-U-DO shift, he knew. Ever since he'd seen that vision while standing on the edge of the black abyss, something within him had sealed itself away. Rubedo's hand instinctively went to the tattoo hidden under his uniform. He hadn't fulfilled his purpose as the Red Dragon, but that part of him still lurked within the shadows, hungry and waiting for combat. If the Red Dragon remained unchecked, everyone he loved was in danger. But as long as he held that demon at bay, he would be forever suspended in time.

It was a fair trade-off, he thought, being stuck at twelve in return for not getting everyone he knew killed. Perfect skin forever, also a plus. On the other hand, it was a bitch. A supreme bitch, for more reasons than he could count. It was a _very_ touchy subject.

"Rubedo!" a monotone voice called up to him, and the redhead dropped the book with a start. He scooted forward, peering down over the edge of the cockpit at Canaan, who stood at Asher's feet, looking grumpy as ever.

"Hey," he called down. The realian opened his lips to say more, but Rubedo cut him off. "Before you say anything else, I have a really important question for you." Canaan just gave him an impatient stare, which he took as a cue to continue. "Do realians like you have to brush your teeth?" Canaan quirked a brow.

"As realians produce saliva with a different chemical content compared to that of humans, our mouths do not contain the bacteria or plaque that would necessitate the use of a toothbrush." Rubedo smirked down at him.

"I thought so." He clambered down the launch stairs, snatching the connection gear from the realian's hand. Undoubtedly another mission to attend to. As his eyes quickly scanned Helmer's e-mail, Canaan turned toward the boy, an odd, unreadable emotion dancing behind his golden eyes. "What?" Rubedo demanded, brows furrowed. Canaan shrugged, turning to walk away.

"It's nothing," he said, disappearing behind the door. "Just wondering how many days in a row Nigredo had to sabotage your toothbrush before you noticed the difference."

Rubedo's hand flew to his mouth, his other letting the connection gear drop to his side. He grimaced unpleasantly as he swallowed harsh bile. Tonight, Nigredo was _so_ gonna get it.

When his stomach had settled somewhat to only a slight uneasiness, he turned his attention back to the forgotten gear. He skimmed through the formalities once more, returning to the actual assignment. He blinked. "This is all routine work, but… a pharmaceutical company?" Something in the back of his mind told him this was not simply a routine mission. Mulling the unusual target over and over in his mind, he let his mind wander over the link until he found Nigredo servicing his chain gun. Nigredo set down the weapon as he felt his brother approach.

"What's on your mind, Rubes?" He smiled through the link. '_Not still mad about the toothbrush, are you?'_ He flinched under Rubedo's serious stare.

"We'll talk about that later," the redhead replied gruffly. "This is serious." Nigredo quirked a brow.

"When am _I_ not serious."

"Oh, I know better than that." He gave his taller brother a tiny smirk, then handed him the connection gear. "Check out the assignment." He watched as Nigredo's eyes scanned the message, stopping at the same point Rubedo's had.

"A pharmaceutical company? That's a rather odd errand, even coming from Helmer. He's one person whose motives I can never quite put a finger on." He paused. "Destroy the facility, recover evidence and retrieve any remaining data or 'artifacts.' This all seems like something just anyone could take care of. I wonder why he's sending us?"

"Yeah, something's definitely up," Rubedo said darkly. "And knowing him, we won't know what it's about until we get there." He sighed, retrieving his own Rook Co. pistols, a gift given him by Helmer on his fifteenth birthday, giving them a twirl before sliding them into their holsters. Nigredo rolled his eyes.

"You and your obsession with those ancient artifacts." He hefted his chain gun into his arms. One day those things are going to backfire and you'll be sorry." Rubedo ignored the comment, already in 'mission mode'.

"We leave in oh-two-hundred hours. Asher's been equipped and serviced." Nigredo gave him a nod. "Let's do this."

-----------------------------------------

The stars shone like pinpricks in a velvet canopy as Asher skimmed the low-lying clouds. The landscape evolved under them from the starkness of the military compound to the green, rolling hills of the Second Miltian countryside. They'd been following a narrow, winding road with no traffic or signs of life for the past half hour.

"This place sure is out of the way," Nigredo commented, drumming his fingers against Asher's controls. Rubedo yawned, in the gunner's position and entirely bereft of any duties for the time being.

"You're telling me. At least you get to fly," he grumbled. "Wait," he said, and he shot forward in his seat till his nose nearly touched the transparent steel. "What's that?" A tiny glow grew on the horizon before them. Nigredo touched the screen before them, magnifying the image and checking the coordinates.

"That's it," Nigredo said, removing the autopilot and gripping the flight controls more tightly. Rubedo's fingers twitched over the beam rifle's trigger.

"Awfully big for a pharmaceutical company." Nigredo nodded in agreement.

"It looks like you could do a lot more than pharmaceutical research in a facility of that size." The facility was more of a complex than a building, and Nigredo surmised there was even more to the labyrinthine structure hidden underground.

"Doesn't seem to be armed tho—AHHH!" Rubedo cried out as Asher jerked suddenly to the right. A beam of green energy lanced within inches of the E.S., dispersing harmlessly behind them into the clouds.

"You were saying?" Rubedo didn't reply, but gulped, firing two blue beams back at the source in response. Two small, nearly hidden gun turrets disappeared in a burst of fire and shrapnel. "Nice shot," Nigredo conceded.

"I don't miss," Rubedo grinned. Nigredo sent the craft into a barrel roll, spiraling around the facility's outer perimeter. Rubedo adjusted easily, and in eight more well-timed shots, the facility's outer defenses were disarmed.

"Okay, you win." Nigredo leveled off, setting the craft down with a soft 'woosh' on the grass outside the main building. He checked his gun and his ammo, glancing down at his older brother, who wore a brooding expression on his face. "You feel weird about this, too?" Rubedo nodded.

"Be careful, baby brother." Nigredo frowned, but said nothing. Asher's cockpit opened and they dropped to the soft turf, guns at the ready. With the primary defenses out of the way, the whole complex seemed eerily quiet. The building's interior lights flickered once, twice, then shut off. A chill of foreboding ran up Nigredo's spine as they approached the front doors.

"Be ready for anything," he warned, running his hand along his weapon to reassure himself. Their brains ran collectively at a lightyear a minute, the link wide open. The glass doors retracted with a hiss, and they stepped inside the dark lobby. Their footsteps echoed off the marble floors.

"It looks abandoned," Rubedo said, his eyes traveling upward to the ceiling, invisible somewhere far above them. Broken urns littered the floor, soil tumbling out of them and the plants they once held torn to pieces. A chandelier had fallen from the high ceiling at some point, shattering on the ground into a thousand tiny grains which crunched under Nigredo's boot.

"No," Nigredo whispered, eyes wide to take in as much light as possible. "Something's not right." No sooner had he said this, than shots rang out in the darkness.

"Aagh!" Rubedo cried, and his brother's pain slammed into him through the link.

"Rubedo!" Lights snapped on, flooding the interior of the lobby with their blinding heat. Metal barricades slammed shut over the doors and windows, blocking the way out. Several armed men stepped out, leveling their weapons at the two boys. Nigredo rushed over to where Rubedo was hunched over. Blood seeped through his uniform at the shoulder, but the boy got back to his feet, brandishing his pistols. "Are you okay?"

"Whoever did that is gonna pay!" Rubedo cried, ignoring his brother's concern. One of their rifle-wielding attackers grinned.

"You're outnumbered, kid," he growled, taking a step forward. Rubedo snarled.

"Twelve to two is hardly outnumbered." He held his gun steady, pointed straight at the aggressor's head.

"Yeah ri—" the man started, but before he could finish, Rubedo pulled the trigger and the top of his head was blown away in a spurt of red. The eleven other guards paused for a moment in incredulity, then opened fire at the two U.R.T.V.'s. They rolled out of the way with superhuman agility, dodging every single shot fired at them. They used the wide-open link to their advantage, each of them seeing the battle from their own perspective and using each other's senses to create a complete picture. Nigredo vaulted off a wrecked pedestal, unleashing the fury of this chain gun in a spray of bullets. Three of the guards hit the ground with muffled thuds. Shaking his head, Rubedo launched himself from behind an intact urn, skidding along the polished floor and dispatching four more men with far fewer bullets and far more accuracy. He let out a jubilant whoop and the remaining guards backed up to the steel door separating them from the rest of the facility.

"You kids… you kids aren't human. You're crazy!" one man cried, quivering and attempting frantically to sink into the wall behind him.

"Freaks!" another shook in agreement, his eyes bulging in fear as the two boys approached them. "I-I thought these people were creating some fucked up things, but you-you _mutants!_" Rubedo planted his feet firmly, directly in front of the man. Though he was a good deal shorter than the guard, he pierced the man with his icy blue gaze.

"We mutants _what_?" he growled, poking the muzzle of his gun into the man's sternum. The man couldn't respond, his mouth gaping and moving but no sound coming out. The hammer clicked back and the man flinched. A dripping sound and the man had pissed himself.

"Rubedo," Nigredo sighed quietly, though he kept his gun trained on the remaining men. Rubedo grimaced, but removed the gun from the man's chest slowly.

"We mutants," he hissed, waving the gun threateningly, "know how to fight fair." He took a step backward, allowing the guard to relax a bit and breathe. The man reached into his pocket and raised a comm unit to his face.

"Please, release the barricades!" he cried into it at some unknown person, and after a moment's pause, the heavy metal doors unmeshed, opening the escape path once again. Nigredo motioned and the four remaining guards scrambled over themselves to the exit. Rubedo shook his head, gingerly fingering the wound in his shoulder.

"Good riddance." He took aim at the console beside the door before them and fired. The console sizzled and shorted out, and the doors screeched open halfway, revealing the brightly lit passage to the rest of the compound. The two boys stepped inside cautiously.

"I knew it," Nigredo said, running his hands along the rough walls. Fluorescent lighting ran along the top of the narrow hallway, which turned into a tunnel heading down into the earth at a shallow decline. "I feel like we're being watched." His voice echoed closely off the carved walls. "I really don't want to go down there, but I guess we have no choice."

"Yep." Rubedo gave him a knowing glance and a pat on the shoulder, and they proceeded anyway. They followed the winding path, their senses telling them they'd descended several dozen yards below ground when they finally reached an unmarked white door at a dead end. There was a fortified glass window at the top, but to Rubedo's unspoken satisfaction, not even Nigredo was tall enough to see into it.

"Rubedo?" Nigredo asked, bowing out of the way.

"My pleasure," said Rubedo, and he placed his hand upon the sterile-looking door. He focused his energy and with a burst of red, destroyed the lock impeding their progress. Unlike in Labyrinthos, however, his power was severely limited by the lock he'd subconsciously placed on the anti-U-DO shift and he fell backwards against the wall, panting. "Phew," he said, waving off Nigredo's concerned glance. "That takes a lot more outta me than before." He took Nigredo's proffered hand, steadying himself. "Okay, let's go." Nigredo pushed open the defeated door, flinching as it clanged to the side noisily. Before them was what looked almost like a brightly-lit hospital, every bit as abandoned-looking as the front lobby had first seemed.

"I suppose I don't need to tell you to be careful this time," Nigredo grinned nervously, pointing his chain gun here and there. Rubedo crept over to the front counter and began rummaging through a spilled container of supplies, retrieving a med kit. He winced as he jammed the needle into his skin and the nanomachines were released, but soon the wound visible through the hole in his uniform had mostly closed over.

"Dammit, that's gonna scar," he said rather loudly, prompting Nigredo to shush him. "Oh, sorry." He jammed the rest of the med kits into his pockets and rejoined his brother. The two of them crept onward, through identical passageways, finding nothing of particular interest in the rooms they encountered. Everywhere, the facility seemed to have been abandoned in a hurry, furniture overturned and computer consoles hastily smashed to destroy evidence.

Finally they entered another ward, marked with a large letter 'E', and they were greeted with the first sign of life since the lobby. A terrified-looking nurse sat in a rolling chair in front of a desk, every inch of her exposed flesh taped tightly with duct tape. Nigredo glanced around the room cautiously, and the two of them entered.

"What is this?" Rubedo whispered, eyes darting around in suspicion. "Something… something isn't right about this." Nigredo took a step toward the nurse, who shuddered in the chair, a tear leaking from her tightly-clenched eye. He reached out to pull the tape from her mouth, but Rubedo caught his hand. "Wait," he said warningly.

"She can tell us what's going on," Nigredo argued, ignoring Rubedo and wrenching his wrist away from his brother. He used his swift reflexes to his advantage, ripping the tape from the quaking woman's lips. She said nothing immediately, sinking from her chair onto the floor beside the surprised U.R.T.V.'s. Instead, a faint beeping began from behind the desk. Rubedo leapt backward, giving Nigredo an accusatory glare while the dark-haired boy just stood in stunned silence.

"Me be careful?! We gotta get outta here!" He grabbed Nigredo's hand, but the larger boy wouldn't budge. Nigredo knelt down beside the woman, prompting Rubedo to let out a panicked, exasperated stream of curses. "We don't have time for this shit!"

"Trap," the nurse mouthed almost inaudibly, staring blankly ahead. "Punishment for my sins." The boys had no time to contemplate her words, for at that moment, the ever-quickening beeping became one steady drone.

"Oh, shi—" Rubedo started, before the floor opened up beneath them with a deafening roar.

-----------------------------------------

What seemed like an eternity later, Nigredo blinked his eyes open painfully. At first he saw nothing, and he panicked. He tried to lift his arms to his face but his left one didn't respond, instead sending shooting pains down that side. Finally his right arm cooperated, and he rubbed what dust he could from his eyes, realizing that was what was obscuring his vision. When his eyes had teared up enough to wash most of the dust away, he examined his surroundings. Looking straight ahead, he could see the stars. Either they were dead, or the explosion had caused a partial cave-in of the building above them. He grunted in discomfort, rolling over and spitting dust from his mouth. From the looks of things, he'd fallen down a level in the underground facility, and his assumption of a cave-in was correct. That was the remains of the lobby some several dozen yards above him. It was a wonder he had survived.

"Rubedo," Nigredo whispered, sudden dread overtaking him. Had he gotten his brother killed by his own reckless actions? He pushed himself up into a sitting position with his good arm. The flickering lights barely clinging to functionality around him gave him only a limited idea of his immediate surroundings. He felt, rather than saw, that his wrist was fractured. He tucked the injured arm inside his uniform, mostly torn open by now, and began to feel around with his other.

'_Ni..?_' He felt his brother's weak mental call to him and jerked to attention immediately. Amazingly, Rubedo was still alive in there somewhere.

'_Rubedo, are you okay? Where are you?_' He listened desperately for any sounds or signs of movement that could help him pinpoint Rubedo's location.

'_Well, I feel like I got run over by a train, but I think I'm alright,_' came the response, and Nigredo heaved a sigh of relief. If his brother still had the ability to be a sarcastic asshole, he was going to be okay. He heard a rustle several yards to his left, so he got to his feet unsteadily and clambered over the wreckage. He found his older brother half buried in rubble, a thin trail of blood coming from the corner of his mouth and from under his hairline, but cuts and bruises seemed to be the worst of his injuries.

"I…" Nigredo began, giving his brother an apologetic glance. He reached down and began to help his brother unbury himself, but it was a slow process with only one working arm.

"Hey, we lived," Rubedo grinned, then spat out a mixture of blood and dust. "'Sides, looks like you caught most of the damage," he noted, glancing at Nigredo's injured arm. When he was freed, he got to his feet and pulled Nigredo to his. "Or maybe she did." Nigredo's eyes followed Rubedo's gaze to where the battered form of the nurse lay. Blood oozed from her eyes and ears. Nigredo's stomach bottomed out. He'd gotten her killed. Rubedo sensed his brother's distress and placed a comforting hand on the taller boy's shoulder. "What say we try and find a way out of here?" Nigredo nodded and Rubedo smiled reassuringly. There was no use in pointing the finger while they were still trapped in this hellhole.

"I think we're in the level below Ward 'E', Nigredo ventured, peering around now that his eyes had adjusted. To the left, the mangled remains of the metal staircase that was their exit hung by a single twisted metal cable. Rubedo sighed.

"Onward it is." The two trekked through the wreckage, unable to find another way to the surface, until they came upon a huge, heavy steel barricade that looked undamaged by the explosion.

"Who would put something so heavily fortified like this in a pharmaceutical complex?" Nigredo wondered aloud, running his hand across the cold steel of the door.

"The same kind of guy who installed gun turrets, armed guards and a bomb attached to a nurse, I reckon," Rubedo muttered, quirking a brow. "No doubt he's got something important to hide, but what could be _this _important?" He pondered that mystery while Nigredo continued to run his hands along the edges of the doorframe. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Aha," Nigredo barked, a sly smile spreading across his face. The huge door beeped, then glided smoothly open. "Emergency release. Like a key under a doormat." Rubedo smiled, a feeling of pride enveloping him. While he had to admit both of them could be impulsive, his brother practically wrote the book on ingenuity. It was good to be related to someone like him.

"Nice work," he grinned, clapping Nigredo on the back. They stepped inside the chamber, confident that nothing worse could happen to them than had already happened. It was a hasty assumption that proved to be woefully incorrect.

The first thing that hit them, like a heavy brick, was the smell. It was the smell of death, of rotting flesh and feces. The chamber had been purged by what looked like another small bomb, crushing most of the evidence of what had transpired there, but judging by the blood flowing and pooling to coat the floor of the room, it had been heavily inhabited. On the tables left intact lay corpses so mangled, grotesque or disfigured it was difficult for the brothers to keep from retching.

"What kind of sick fuck would do this to a human being?" choked Rubedo, turning away from a girl whose eyes, nose and lower jaw had all been removed, leaving nothing but a gaping hole through which tubes distributed liquid nutrients. Discarded bodies hung like meat from a freezer room to which the door had been torn off, crystalline icicles creeping outward into the main chamber. "Pharmaceutical experiments, my ass. These people were monsters." The boy's voice seethed with unbridled hatred. The images being burned into his mind were all too reminiscent of his own past, being bred to kill thousands of people; being used.

"Every one of them… all dead," Nigredo said, his voice more like a moan than anything.

Rubedo wrapped an arm around his brother. Though he was the smaller of the two, there would never be a day he didn't feel the need to protect his younger sibling. "Hey, it'll be alright," he said, though he didn't feel it. He opened his mouth to continue when something hit him like a mental sledgehammer to the brain. "Did you feel that?" he hissed, putting a hand to his head. Nigredo knelt beside him in a similar state.

"My head…" Nigredo focused his wavelength, trying to determine the source of the mental pang they'd just received. "That felt like… it felt almost like a spiritual link," he ground out, as another wave hit him.

"Someone's… someone's calling us," Rubedo marveled, as the mental pleas gained form. "Someone is in trouble."

"And it's coming from back there," Nigredo whispered, gazing into the ruins before them.

"Well, I'll be damned, someone did survive." Rubedo smiled slightly, despite himself as ideas began to click into place. "And I think I know what Helmer meant by 'recovering evidence.'" He ignored his brother's curious glance.

The mental SOS hit him again, but weaker this time, and the brothers' heads snapped toward the source, which was now visible—a half-crushed capsule at the far end of the room. The power had gone off, ending the constant stream of sedatives to its inhabitant. The capsule only looked big enough to house a small child.

'_Hello?_' Nigredo called mentally, sending comforting thoughts to the capsule's unknown inhabitant. He felt the child shrink away, so he persisted in the calming thoughts he sent. They approached the capsule and brushed away the dust that covered its lid, peering into it. They blinked in shock at what they saw. Alert, intelligent violet eyes darted back and forth behind the transparent lid. It was a little girl, no more than ten years old, and she was very much alive.

"Ni," Rubedo said, splaying his fingers across the glass. "Look at her!" He let his curious eyes wander over her desperately thin, bruised form, her close-shaved hair and the dozens of IV needles buried into her flesh. Despite her pitiful, wasted body, her eyes were sharp and her expression full of life. "She's so vibrant, unlike anything else in this place."

"She's beautiful," Nigredo breathed softly, his eyes brimming. "How… how could anyone do this to someone like her?" His fingers fumbled quickly for the release button, and finding it, punched it sharply. A hiss, and the two boys stepped back. The dust settled and they heard the girl's weak coughs. Nigredo rushed back to the capsule to see the violet-eyed girl trying desperately to push her thin frame into a sitting position. She locked eyes with Nigredo, searching him. He took another step forward, and this time, the girl did not flinch.

"Ooh," she croaked in a voice long in disuse. "Who?" was all she managed, keeping her aloof but curious gaze steadily trained on Nigredo.

"I'm Nigredo," he said, looking over to his older brother for a reassuring glance.

"Ni…gredo," the girl repeated. Nigredo paused, uncertain. After a moment he held out his hand. The girl made no move to take it, but after a moment she reached out tentatively to trace the number '669' tattooed across his palm. "You are not… one of them," she said confidently, poking a finger at his serial number. "Are you like us?" Nigredo allowed a small smile to flit across his lips.

"Well, not exactly. We're not like them, though, you're right about that." The young girl allowed him to take her slender hand in his. "We're here to rescue you." The girl seemed unfazed, but withdrew her hand, and before either boy could stop her, she began to yank the IV needles from her skin. It obviously caused her discomfort, but she kept a very straight, brave face as one by one she was a needle closer to freedom. Then the last IV was gone, and she was reaching behind her head.

"A cord?" Rubedo wandered aloud. With a click and a whirr, the cord retracted into the pod. The girl let her fingers run gingerly over the base of her skull, where a data port was embedded into her skin. She returned her now solemn, piercing gaze to Nigredo.

"If you rescue me… rescue sister." Her voice was so small, yet so strong.

"Sister?" Rubedo cocked his head. "There's someone else here that's still alive?" The girl nodded, and glanced toward a side room that had gone unnoticed.

"In there," the violet-eyed girl whispered, without the strength to raise her arm to point. Her eyes began to close as her atrophied muscles exerted the last of their strength. Nigredo's good arm shot out and he caught her, scooping her into his embrace. He was so painfully aware of her skeletal frame, her vertebrae visible through the skin. He hefted her up gently, holding her as best he could with one arm.

"Let's see," Rubedo said, and he placed his hand upon the panel next to the door.

"Denied," rang a hollow, computerized voice, but before it could repeat its warning, the panel was smashed in. Rubedo dropped the pipe as the door swooshed open, revealing only darkness beyond. For a moment, the boy simply stood in confusion. Was the girl wrong? Then suddenly a small figure darted out of the room, smashing into Rubedo with surprising force.

"Aiyee!" A tiny girl, even smaller than the first, sat atop the stupefied redhead, pounding her fists into his chest. While it startled him more than it hurt him, he was out of breath for a few moments.

"What the heck?!" Once he'd regained his composure he reached out and snagged the girl's wrists with little effort. She continued to struggle against him, whimpering as tears streamed from her eyes.

"Don't hurt me, don't hurt me, don't hurt me! I promise I won't do nothin' bad ever again!" she cried, eventually becoming limp in his grip. Rubedo looked down at the tiny girl. She could only have been about eight years old. Her head was shaved and she shared the same strange data port at the base of her skull, but unlike the violet-eyed girl, this one was full of vigor and physical energy. Her frame was taut in Rubedo's arms. Regardless, he slowly released her wrists and the girl didn't move, just sat still in a kind of shock.

"Hey there, take it easy," he said in what he hoped was a soothing tone. The girl cracked open blue eyes to glare at him. He sighed, wrapping his arms around her narrow shoulders. She blinked, and struggled a bit, but he intended to show her that he was just as stubborn as she was. After a moment she settled down, her heart still fluttering rapidly against her chest.

"Who are you people," she whispered, "and what are ya gonna do with me and Shelley?"

"Shelley," Nigredo whispered, looking down at the unconscious girl in his arm. Rubedo relaxed his hold on her a bit, hoping to make her feel not quite so threatened. The girl sat up, leveling her gaze at Nigredo.

"Relax, babes, it's okay. We're not bad guys," Rubedo smiled, as a dubious frown spread across the girl's face. "His name is Nigredo, and I'm Rubedo," he offered. "What's yours?"

"Mary," she grumbled, almost unwillingly. Rubedo gave her a small grin.

"That's a pretty name. Now… how would you and your friend like to come with us, somewhere safe and far away from here?" His voice was almost hesitant, and the girl's response equally so, but both were definite.

"Well… I don't care who you are. I just wanna get outta here," she said, and Rubedo chuckled at how gruff she sounded. "And she's my sister."

"Alright then," he smiled encouragingly, and he allowed the girl to straddle him piggy-back. "Now we just have to find a way to get out of this place."

The four of them had scarcely made it back through the barricade into the main rubble when a bright beam of light pierced through the dust down from the lobby. Rubedo's mind flashed back to that night three years ago and he realized that once again, Canaan had come to their rescue. The realian deftly maneuvered his A.M.W.S. down the blast hole to their level, where Asher surely would have been too big to reach. Rubedo felt Mary recoil at the A.M.W.S.'s approach, so he let his hand caress her arm soothingly.

"I thought maybe you could use some help," Canaan called down to them over the loudspeaker. Rubedo waved up to him, and he lowered the A.M.W.S.'s arm as a makeshift elevator with which to lift them to the upper level. Once they'd made it out, Canaan disengaged his cockpit to peer out at them. "I believe this is all the evidence we'll need."

"And the artifacts and data?" Rubedo wondered curiously as he, Nigredo and the two girls climbed safely into Asher's cockpit. Canaan let his gaze wander to the back of Shelley's neck.

"I believe the data will be no problem at all. As far as any 'artifacts…'" He shrugged, climbing back into his cockpit and switching on his comm. "Well, I don't know about that."

This time, since Rubedo had two working arms, he took the pilot's seat and Nigredo the gunner's. Each of them had a little girl tucked comfortably into his lap. They'd thought Shelley was unconscious, but just then the girl blinked open her amethyst eyes. "Artifact," she whispered, causing Nigredo to start. He ran his hand gently across her shoulder.

"What is it, Shelley," he asked her quietly.

"Gold," she mumbled, raising her arm to point back down into the ruins. Nigredo didn't understand, but looked where she was pointing. From up here, it was easier to see. Half of the floor of the chamber they'd found the girls in was nothing more than a giant trap door. Nigredo got a strange feeling as he aimed Asher's beam rifle at the trap door.

"Hey, what're you—" Rubedo started, but he was cut off as a bright beam of blue lanced down toward the floor. One, two, three shots and the heavy blast steel was penetrated, a hole big enough for Asher to descend punched in it. Rubedo took his cue and activated the floodlights, using minute adjustments to the thrusters to ease them into the pit they'd created.

"Wha-what the hell?" Rubedo cried, his voice shaking. Mary flattened herself even further down into his lap. "No, it can't be…" His fingers tightened around the controls until his knuckles were white. "No…"

What the bright beams illuminated sent the two U.R.T.V.'s stomachs on a sickening drop. In a pool of his own blood lay the mastermind behind this entire operation, the head of the company, with a pistol near his right hand. Behind him, however, was the object of the brothers' terror. It was something they had seen before, something that had haunted their dreams ever since their childhood. It was what they had been sent to sever the link to three years ago. It was impossible. It was a Zohar.

-----------------------------------------

Rubedo watched the two girls from behind the glass of the viewing window to their recovery room. At first, the weakened, malnourished girls had resisted the medical care, terrified by its resemblance to the years of experimentation they'd endured. But the little girls' resilience amazed the U.R.T.V. Now, they sat on the edges of their beds, laughing and talking animatedly. With a smile, Rubedo thought, '_We were just like them, not so long ago._'

A familiar, heavy hand clapped down on the boy's shoulder and he didn't even flinch.

"Hey, Helmer," Rubedo grinned, but his expression turned serious as soon as he met Helmer's gaze.

"I wanted to discuss some things with you, if that's alright," the large man boomed.

"Of course," Rubedo said, catching the hint and moving away into an unoccupied corner of the room. "Is it about the Zohar?" Helmer glanced around, and having made sure they were out of earshot, he nodded.

"It turns out it's a Zohar emulator," he started, and seeing the lack of comprehension on Rubedo's face, he continued, "one of twelve created by Joachim Mizrahi for the U-TIC Organization."

"U-TIC?" Rubedo gaped, glancing back at the girls. "I didn't think U-TIC was involved with the pharmaceutical company."

"As it turns out, they were conducting research experiments on the emulator in conjunction with the experimentation they were doing on little Mary and Shelley," Helmer explained. "What they did to the girls is similar in a way to the mental link between yourself and Nigredo. That way, they can share and back up data physically." Rubedo nodded.

"I guess that makes sense." Helmer said nothing for a moment, and Rubedo expected the man was about to ask him something of grave importance. He knew this routine well.

"Call your brother here," Helmer whispered. Rubedo felt out with the link, and within moments Nigredo arrived, wearing a matching puzzled expression on his face.

"Sir," he said as he approached, "could we discuss what will happen to the girls and the emulator?" Helmer gave him a wry smile.

"Actually, that's what I wanted to discuss as well." He turned to face the girls, smiling faintly at their antics. "I would like to ask you to take care of them."

"The Zohar?"

"The girls?" asked Rubedo and Nigredo confusedly at the same time.

"Both," Helmer said shortly. Nigredo's brows knitted in incomprehension.

"Wait, you mean like… the two of us? Rubedo and I, tracking down the rest of these Zohar emulators and taking care of these girls?" Helmer nodded. "But we don't have the resources to do either of those things! I mean, we'd love to take care of the girls and all; they're sweet as anything, but we live here on base, and we've got no money or ships of our own or anything to dedicate to something like that."

"He's right, sir," Rubedo added. "We've lived off your good graces for the past three years." Helmer chuckled.

"Perhaps so," he smiled, "but opportunities present themselves in the strangest ways." He looked at each of the boys, grinning. "Have either of you met Soze Kukai?" The boys shook their heads no slowly. "That's because no one has." Helmer motioned for the boys to follow him, and they did, taking up a leisurely pace toward the exit. "Soze Kukai, a fictional persona created by the Second Miltian government in order to pool its resources and combat the remnants of the U-TIC Organization. The Kukai foundation dabbles in a little bit of everything." The boys, not seeing where Helmer was leading them, literally and figuratively, hung on his words. "I'm getting ready to run for the position of Second Miltian Representative, so I got my hands on this inside bit of information: since the Kukai Foundation is technically a military organization and this is a time of peace, it's about to lose its government subsidy. The combat of the U-TIC Organization must continue to remain underground, so someone must step in and save the Kukai Foundation from a slow death." The three of them exited the building and into the crisp night air.

"But where do we fit in," Nigredo asked, accepting the binoculars Helmer handed him without question. "How are we supposed to help if the guy running the place is imaginary?" Helmer grinned.

"Take a look through those binoculars on maximum power, right through those clouds there." He handed another pair to Rubedo, who eagerly took them and mimicked his brother.

"Woah," Rubedo interjected, adjusting his view. "What's a colony doing so close to Second Miltia?"

"It's the Kukai Foundation," Helmer chuckled. "So what do you say, Nigredo, or should I perhaps address you as Mr. Kukai, heir to industrialist Soze Kukai's fortune?" Both boys lowered their binoculars, blinking. "Come on boys," he said, spreading his arms. "Both of you have proved yourselves more than competent, time and again. You'll have all the resources you need at your disposal to combat the U-TIC Organization, and to provide for the two lovely young ladies in that building."

"Well, I—" Nigredo began, about to argue, but he stopped himself. It would be a huge change, and a huge challenge for both of them—no, all four of them. But if they could do it..? He looked over to Rubedo, who had a similarly contemplative expression on his face. Not only would this be an opportunity to create something for themselves, but it would give the two brothers a larger purpose in their life—something the two of them had been most desperately craving for three years.

"Take your time and think about it," Helmer smiled kindly, taking the binoculars back. "I'll understand if you don't want to do it." Nigredo glanced over at Rubedo, however, and they thrust their hands out, shaking Helmer's and taking the man by surprise.

"We'll do it."


End file.
